


Compete Against The Stars (With All Our Hearts)

by actualtrashking



Series: May Our Stories Catch Fire [1]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-24 08:07:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 70,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4911835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/actualtrashking/pseuds/actualtrashking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are two sides to every story, the problem, however, lies in who you ask.</p><p>Or, what if the parts in the Carmilla series we never got to see were told from Danny's point of view?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Spark

**Author's Note:**

> Rated Mature for later chapters

“So um, I’m not really sure what I’m doing.” Danny says, still fidgeting with the webcam atop her computer so that her shoulder takes up the entire screen before she plops down in the computer chair, finally in frame.

She runs a hand through her hair and darts her eyes away from the camera. She can’t believe she’s actually doing this. But maybe her therapist is right and it will help–venting to someone that can’t actually judge you _should_ help–it’s not like she ever has to make the videos live, after all.

Except she _will_ have to make them live in order to prove to her therapist that she _has_ actually made the damn things. The one comfort she has, though is knowing that her videos will be lost to the ether of the internet–no one will give her a second glance.

“Okay, um, I guess I should start with what’s been going on lately? The campus is still as weird as ever but it’s really not that bad. Um…“

Danny trails off and can’t even make eye contact with the camera, “Well, I’m a TA this year.”

She offers up the information with a slight wave of her hand as she glances at the camera before setting her gaze just to the left of it.

“That’s actually going well so far. Professor Abernathy is actually really great; I love his approach- or at least what I’ve seen of it.” Danny’s finally looking at the camera, now. Only breaking eye contact every so often, when she contemplates her next words.

Maybe this wasn’t the _worst_ idea after all.

“He actually-” Danny’s talking with her hands now, hovering them about in front of her in the air as more words spring forth. Almost as if the motions are ushering the words out of her mouth. It helps, “-He, um, he has this way of speaking that sort of puts the students in this sort of trance?”

Danny’s face scrunches up at the word “trance,” it wasn’t the right one, but at least it can lead into her next point. “Oh, but don’t worry; not a real one.”

Danny’s hands are moving with her words in a halting motion at the camera as if she can physically abate her audience’s fears–as if there will even be an audience to speak of, “I already checked that out. No weird talismans or incantations to speak of–he’s just _that_ engaging with his lectures.”

Danny’s momentum seems to fall out as she realizes there isn’t too much else to say. “Um, what else to talk about?”

Danny’s hands have gone to her lap now–not that the camera can see as much, but she’s buried them between her thighs, her knees bouncing as she clicks her tongue, eye darting away from the camera and roaming over her computer desk–she desperately needs to organize it– as she wracks her brain for her next topic.

“Oh!”

The exclamation is out of her mouth with a bit more force than she first intended, and one of her hands is pointing at the camera all of a sudden.

“There’s this girl. I know, I know, my focus should be on my studies, and it is…”

She’s trailing off and avoiding making eye contact with the camera again, but this time for a whole new reason.

“Usually.” Danny finally finishes with her eyes back on the camera, the small smirk she’s been trying to control winning out over her better judgement.

“She’s just–okay, I never knew that the whole butterflies in your stomach, getting tongue tied when you see them, feeling your heart race at the sight of them thing was actually real, you know?”

Her hands are moving again, her wrist rolling with her words, trying to get them out sooner. As if rolling the thoughts and concepts around in the air before her will somehow manage to get her the answers she hasn’t been able to come up with on her own, yet.

“I thought it was all just some rom-com movie crap–but then La–” Danny cuts herself off, not sure if she should actually use Laura’s name on camera.

It’s not as if she plans on anyone but her therapist seeing these videos, really. Sure, they’ll be out floating on the internet for all to see, but it is highly doubtful anyone would pay any attention to her ramblings. Only, the worry of Laura somehow stumbling upon them and realizing Danny’s been talking about her hits her hard.

She shouldn’t say Laura’s name.

She should make something else up that starts with L.

That is exactly what she _should_ do.

That is the exact _opposite_ of what she actually does.

“But then Laura comes along, and now I know what all those stupid cliches are about because she’s making me _feel_ them.” Danny will only realize the way her voice and face soften on Laura’s name when she is actually editing the video. For now, though, she is blissfully unaware of just how obvious an affect this girl is already having on her.

“Like, okay,” Danny starts in, jostling herself in her seat as she hops up, attempting to get more comfortable. “I caught her after class the other day. You know, just to say hi and stuff like that.” Danny’s nodding along with her own words, but even _she_ doesn’t believe them as they leave her mouth.

“And she um–okay, I asked her what her favorite book is because we had just been in a lit class–seems appropriate enough, right?” Danny’s hands are moving again; her palm upended, as if literally offering the question to the camera.

“And she–oh gosh,” Danny can’t help the small giggles that fall from her lips at the memory. Her hands hit her knees in emphasis, unable to find a reason to hold them up any longer, and she’s shaking her head as the words leave her. As if she _still_ can’t quite believe how cute one person could actually be.

“She does the cutest thing. She looked like a deer caught in headlights, and I swear to you. I swear!” Danny’s hands are up, palms facing the camera as if to brace them for the words she is about to breathe.

“She does this little _squeak_ and then trips over her words as she says, ‘Alice in–Frankenstein–The Secret Garden!’ I mean, how cute is that?!” Danny’s exclaiming, but then sobers up at her next revelation,

“Also, I really pegged her for a Pride and Prejudice girl myself, but I suppose looks can be deceiving.” Danny’s shrugging before her next words are out of her mouth. “I mean, I certainly didn’t know I was in the same class as the physical embodiment of Cute, so really I guess I–”

Danny’s words are cut off by someone entering her room, _loudly_.

“Lawrence! What do we have here?” Elsie says, peering around the room in a manner that seems to be the farthest from subtle as one person can get.

“What? No adoring fans? You’re holding out on me, Lawrence and that is _entirely_ unfair.” Elsie states as she lets herself in the room, closing the door behind her as she walks over to where Danny is seated, though stopping about a foot away.

“Elsie, I’m kind of in the middle of something, here!” Danny’s saying, her hands flailing in the direction of the camera.

“Oh you’re not…are you?” Elsie trails off, motioning vaguely with her hands at Danny, and then the computer all while raising her eyebrows– her face eventually scrunching up in disgust after a few seconds of her words hanging in the air between them.

While the motions weren’t actually vulgar, Danny picks up on Elsie’s form of subtlety, the kind that resembles a Mack truck running into a brick wall, easily enough.

“What? No! It’s a project for–it’s a project!” Danny pushes her chair back from her desk far enough that the back of it collides with the side of her mattress and she can grab for her weapon of choice in this moment: one of her pillows.

“One that you are _interrupting_.” Danny says, chucking the pillow in Elsie’s direction on her last word.

Unfortunately, Elsie catches it and claims it as her prize before plopping herself down on the bed beside Danny. She pauses for a few seconds before hitting Danny over the top of the head with the pillow, standing up to place her arms over it with her chin resting on her arms, now batting her eyelashes at the camera.

“So, Cap, what’s this about?” Elsie’s asking from her pillow perch atop Danny’s head.

Danny jostles them both, dislodging Elsie from her former place as Danny runs a hand through her hair before shoving at Elsie’s shoulder lightly.

“None of your business.” Danny growls out the words, but there isn’t enough force behind them to deter Elsie in her newest endeavor, Danny knows.

Elsie’s eyeing Danny for a few seconds, and Danny’s contemplating the merits of either telling Elsie the truth, or literally shoving her out of the room, before Elsie suddenly lights up as if in complete understanding. Danny’s stomach drops at the thought because whatever Elsie sees here–she is undoubtedly going to be very wrong- and also very sure she is anything but.

“You’re taking a page out of like, those vlogger’s books right? You’re trying to be like a Youtube person or whatever?”

Before Danny can even get a word in edgewise, Elsie is nudging her shoulder into Danny’s.

“Oh, sweet puppy Cap–sorry to say it, but your personality just isn’t suited for such.”

There is an opening and Danny dives for it, only to be usurped soon after.

“I’m not–”

“I, on the other hand,” Elise cuts in, a hand to her chest now as she looks away from Danny, beaming at the camera in an exaggerated fashion, “I am an absolute delight to have around. I’m sure I could save your floundering vlog–”

“It’s not floundering! I haven’t even posted–”

“Doesn’t matter. If you’re at the helm, Cap–it kind of is.” Elsie says with a fake pout in Danny’s direction, tapping her fingers underneath Danny’s jaw. Danny can’t help but snap her jaw at Elsie’s fingers as she withdraws them.

“Lawrence, keep your little kinks to yourself and your study buddies,” Elsie says before turning her attention back to the camera, flipping her hair behind her as she does, paying no mind to the fact that she just whipped Danny in the face with her blonde locks.

“We have an audience to grace with our presence.” Elsie states, her voice going a bit deeper as she exaggerates her hand motions and starts posing for the camera as if she is more model than wanna-be vlogging sensation.

“ _We_ have nothing, Elsie–” Danny starts in motioning at her and then at Elsie

Elsie cuts her off with an exaggerated gasp, “Don’t tell me all those things you said to me were a lie, Lawrence! You can’t just tell a girl you love her and then say it was _nothing_ –”

“Out! Get out of my room right now, Rivers!” Danny exclaims, pointing a finger at her bedroom door, unable to handle anymore of Elsie’s dramatics.

She’s still filming, for Christ’s sake!

Elsie suddenly sobers up, clutching for Danny’s arm, and at first Danny isn’t buying it for a second.

“Rivers, I said ou–”

Elsie cuts her off, grabbing blindly for Danny’s arm, her eyes darting to the door, her entire body suddenly on edge.

“Sh! Sh! Do you hear that?!” Elsie practically stage whispers–the girl has never been friends with the concept of subtlety.

A small silence falls over them and Danny listens, hearing nothing.

“This won’t save you, Rivers. I said get out–”

“Shut up and _listen!”_ Elsie demands.

Elsie’s hand is finally finding a home wrapped around Danny’s forearm in a brutal grip that causes Danny to finally take her seriously and actually listen. They sit there quiet for the space of a few heartbeats as Danny strains to hear anything ,but nothing is catching her attention.

“There! Did you hear that?!” Elsie’s asking, her voice holds just a touch of panic at the edges–now Danny is worried.

“What? What is it? Are we under attack? I can wrangle up the girls–”

Elsie cuts into Danny’s train wreck ramblings, and for once Danny finds herself thankful for the interruption.

“Just listen, Cap!”

Danny does as she is instructed but still doesn’t hear anything, and now she’s getting even more worried and keyed up–mentally going over defense tactics that they might need to use, and wishing she had brushed up better on the newest ones Claire had implemented. Danny shifts in her seat before Elsie finally breaks the silence between them.

“It’s–it’s the sound of all of your _wasted potential_ if you don’t let me in on these vlogs!” Elsie says with an audible gasp, her voice thick with dramatics.

Danny is shoving Elsie out of her room three seconds later.

“Hey now, this is no way to treat your sisters, Cap!”

“That’s why I only treat you this way, Rivers!” Danny is biting out her reply, shoving Elsie out the door- or at least trying to do as much.

Elsie has her hands on either side of the doorjamb and she’s leaning her body back, trying to stay inside Danny’s room no matter that Danny clearly wants her out.

“I could go over your head, you know!” Elsie threatens.

“You wanna go to Claire with this? Be my guest.”

Elsie doesn’t have a quick reply for that, so Danny lays her own on thick

“I’ll let your family know you died valiantly in battle–lying to them might comfort them in their time of grief because you and I both know Claire would not let you out of her room alive if you went to her ranting about the _injustice_ of something so trivial.” Danny can’t help but roll her eyes on the word injustice.

“You know I came in here for a reason, Danny.” Elsie offers up in her defense.

“Your usual habit of making everything about you is not always appreciated, Elsie. If you actually had something to talk about, you would have started in with that. There is no way I’m buying into your bullshit.”

Danny is still pushing Elsie out, but Elsie is standing her ground quite firmly–Danny can’t help but be impressed.

“Danny, seriously…” Elsie’s tone has Danny faltering, and she finally lets Elsie go.

If Elsie actually has something to discuss, then Danny will hear her out–she didn’t get elected vice president of outdoor rec because she didn’t care about her sisters or their issues–it does matter to her.

“Okay, what is it?” Danny asks as Elsie turns around to face her now.

“Well I was just–” Elsie cuts herself off, seemingly getting choked up, and Danny wonders briefly if they should take this conversation back into her bedroom for privacy. That thought however is obliterated when Elsie continues, “I was just wondering how I can cope with so many people being intimidated by my swag.”

Danny slams her bedroom door in Elsie’s face immediately after Elsie’s words register.

A few seconds later, Danny plops herself back down in her computer chair, sighing loudly as she runs a hand through her hair. She had actually forgotten her webcam is still on until her eye catches the tiny light indicating it is, in fact, still running.

“Oh shit–Sorry about that I–I’ll just edit all of that out, later.” Danny says, stumbling over her words and questioning just how she has gotten so comfortable speaking to the camera so quickly–Elsie’s dramatics may have helped to some degree, not that Danny would ever give her the satisfaction of knowing as much.

“Okay, so where was I?” Danny’s asking herself aloud.

Her eyes go from the camera to the floor as she begins swiveling her chair from side to side absently as she tries to backtrack enough to remember her previous topic. She remembers talking about Laura, but it seems a bit weird to launch back into talking about her budding crush, so Danny decides to change topics altogether.

“Getting a balance on my own schoolwork while also being a T.A. is proving… _interesting_.” Danny sighs, eyeing the pile of papers scattered around her computer desk or haphazardly shoved into textbooks.

Granted, her workload isn’t as heavy as it otherwise would be. She had doubled up on classes last semester, which gave her the resources to actually go for the T.A. position in the first place. As backwards or upside down as Silas’ campus may be, they still didn’t overload her with work and then let her drown in her own bad decisions–at least not where her workload was concerned–the rest of it is hers to do with as she sees fit.

“I mean, I can totally handle it. I want to handle it. It’s just proving a bit more taxing than I had previously thought. Especially since practice is going to start up soon and that means even more things to juggle. But this opportunity is so great, and i’m really grateful I get to have it- teaching is something I really want to do, and the experience I’m gaining now is only solidifying that teaching is what I want to do after-”

Danny’s cut short as a knock sounds on her door. She gets up, yelling before she ever even reaches her door.

“Rivers, if you think you can just–Mel?” Danny wasn’t expecting Mel to be on the other side of the door, clearly.

But it’s not an unwelcome sight, her best friend in her doorway.

“What? You were expecting someone else?” Mel asks with a grin before shoving her way into Danny’s room.

Not that Mel actually needed to shove- Danny was about to step aside to let her in, but patience has never really been one of Mel’s virtues.

Mel walks over to Danny’s bed and plops down with ease. Danny walks up behind her only to move back to her seat in her computer chair.

“So to what do I owe this great pleasure?” Danny asks with a smile.

“Just wanted to check in on you, Lawrence. We haven’t really gotten to see much of each other lately.”

“Yeah, I know–things have just been so crazy lately. I’ve been trying to manage all of my classwork along with this new T.A. job I have going with Abernathy–”

Mel holds up her hand to stop Danny’s words from tumbling out of her mouth, and Danny obliges, her mouth closing as she lets Mel speak.

“It’s fine–Just gotta make sure my girl is still okay. You ready for practice soon?”

Danny perks up at that, shifting in her seat to sit up further.

“Yeah, I think we’re really going to dominate out there this season. We got a few new girls on the team that seem to actually know what they’re doing. This might be the first time that’s really happened, but I am not going to complain.”

Mel laughs and smacks lightly at Danny’s arm.

“Oh, do you remember when we were freshman in try-outs?”

“As if I could forget that!”

“They thought you were a junior even back then!”

“Well, the height can do that to people.” Danny says with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Mm, yeah but you also seemed to carry yourself well. As soon as we stepped out on to that ice, you just fell into your zone. And hey, look at you now, Beanpole–captain of the team!” Mel says, nudging at Danny’s arm

Danny can’t help but grin. It hadn’t been anything she had seen coming. Their former captain was graduating, sure. But that didn’t mean that Danny was up to be her replacement. She was well liked on the team, but she hadn’t thought Julia had thought so highly of her so when she was pulled aside and asked if she wanted the position, Danny had forgotten how to speak for a few seconds and did what she could, nodding enthusiastically. The roars from the team when her position was announced bowled Danny over–the team really was like family to her.

“Yeah, well, you’re not doing too bad yourself, Callis. You kept our heads above water with that glove of yours.”

Mel shrugged, but grinned preening almost, “I am pretty great, aren’t I?”

“Don’t let it go to your head.” Danny says, shoving Mel’s shoulder.

They’re both laughing and Danny makes a mental note to make time for this, even when things start to get heavier for her as the year drags on. Talking with Mel, the ease with which the words come, and just their overall connection help ground Danny and remind her that she isn’t alone. That’s what the Summer Society is all about–creating a connection between all of the girls involved.

“Mm, what’s that, Lawrence?” Mel asks, pointing up at her webcam that is still running.

“Oh! I um–it’s, uh, a project.” Danny says, stumbling over her words.

Mel raises an eyebrow at Danny, but doesn’t push the subject and Danny is grateful for that fact.

“Well, I guess I’ll leave you to it, Lawrence. Don’t be a stranger, though yeah?” Mel says, slapping her knees before pushing herself up off Danny’s bed and heading towards the bedroom door.

“Yeah, we’ll make the time.” Danny says, and she really means what she’s saying.

“Good, I’m going to hold you to that. Now, go deal with your little video project. You know where to find me if you need me.” Mel says, opening the door and stepping over the threshold.

“Same goes for me, Mel.” Danny says as she watches Mel go back down the hall towards her room.

“Of course, Lawrence!” Mel calls over her shoulder with a wave of her hand, not bothering to look back at Danny.

 

Danny closes the door of her bedroom and settles back down in her computer chair. She knows the camera is still recording, but she doesn’t really have the energy to keep the little project going- at least not right now. She might record more tonight if the mood strikes her and edit it all together, but for now she just wants to stop, so she does just that.

She pushes her chair to her computer desk and pulls up the recording software she has running and finally ends the damn thing.

“Well, I am never going to keep it running like that ever again. Editing it is going to be a nightmare.” She mutters to herself before leaning back in her chair, surveying her room lazily.

There are a million things she could be doing, and a good number of things she should be doing. Her textbooks lay strewn about her desk just begging to be cracked open, but Danny doesn’t really know if she can force herself to do as much- not after the large study session this whole video thing was supposed to be a break from. Studying is out of the question, at least for the time being, but that does leave a large chunk of the day open for her to do whatever she sees fit–the issue is that nothing is coming to mind.

Distantly, she wishes she had Laura’s number, or even an excuse to get Laura’s number. But then she remembers that this is straddling the line of ethics in regards to her position of power in the class–she shouldn’t even be considering the things she has in relation to Laura.

Though, in her defense, Danny thinks that there is no one strong willed enough on this Earth to actually resist falling all over themselves when confronted with the absolute wonderful insanity that is Laura Hollis’ existence.

She speaks up in class and is engaged, and passionate, and wonderfully dorky- if her answer to her favorite book is anything to go by. Danny is smitten. She knows that, and she is aware just how dangerous this feeling is, given everything else going on in her life and the campus they are both residing on, but that doesn’t seem to be deterring her in the slightest.

Danny isn’t used to this uncertainty where girls are concerned. It’s not as if finding a date was ever difficult for her, in fact just the opposite. She was the star athlete in her high school and the girls had a penchant for falling all over themselves to get her attention. Feeling this way about someone now, though? That is new. She’s used to be the one pursued, now she’s finding herself wanting to be the one to chasing after someone else–only she wants some sort of cosmic guarantee that she will earn her spoils. 

The dichotomy between these two sensations, what she has been used to up until now (because the girls swooning at her feet thing? It still hasn’t stopped) and what is happening in her life currently where this tiny freshman is concerned is rather alarming even if Danny knows it probably shouldn’t be. She is so very out of her element. But she hopes that maybe the flustered way Laura answered her question about books is a small indication that maybe, somewhere within her, Laura could be interested in her, too.

Danny sighs heavily. She knows she’s thinking too much about it, but it’s also really hard to not think about it. She has classes where she has to actively _not_ think about it, and practices (once they actually start up) to _not_ think about it, and the biggest challenge of all, Abernathy’s class to not ( _especially_ not) think about it at all.

So Danny is indulging herself a little bit as she sits there. She lets herself think about Laura’s smile, and her eyes that seem to be the color of liquid gold, and–when the hell did Danny Lawrence, captain of Silas’ defending champion hockey team, become such a _sap_?!

This is not normal. This is very, very not normal. But then again, she’s never had a crush like this. She’s never had someone’s mere existence in the same physical space as her affect her so much–especially not when she hardly knows the other person. It may not be normal, but it certainly doesn’t feel bad.

Danny just hopes that her affections don’t end up coming back to bite her in the ass later down the road.

She’s still so wrapped up in her thoughts that she doesn’t even really realize she gets up and walks over to her bookshelf–only when she starts reading the well worn book does she realize she’s picked up her old beaten up copy of _Frankenstein_.

It seems fitting, after all. They are currently studying at what is considered it’s own private madhouse–why not read about a mad scientist and his creation that becomes more than he could have ever anticipated? Danny knows, though that she’s rereading it simply because she doesn’t currently know where her copy of _The Secret Garden_ has gone and she wants to fall into something Laura loved so much she couldn’t choose between her options.

Danny is utterly gone for a girl that probably doesn’t even know she exists beyond being her Lit T.A. In fact, it would probably be odd if she  _were_ more in Laura’s mind, but Danny can’t stop herself from hoping that maybe she could get there someday.

For now, though she ignores her studies- at least for a few hours, and loses herself to Victor Frankenstein’s world. There’s supposed to be a mixer down at the quad tonight, and Danny had already made plans to go–discussed with a few of her classmates in the hall outside Abernathy's class that she would meet them there.

Meaning she has some time to burn before it’s back to studying, so she can feel alright about actually attending said party. It may be a Friday afternoon and all of her classes are done for the day, but Danny can’t really rationalize slacking off; not when she has worked so hard to maintain the 4.0 GPA she came to Silas with. So she bargains with herself–some light reading now, buckling down to study in a little while, and then the quad mixer.

It seems do-able. It _should_ be do-able, at least. And besides, maybe this party will be worth the effort of actually attending it this time around. The last one wasn’t really that great. Danny also hopes that maybe by some off chance, she could see Laura there–that would definitely make the entire bargain with herself worth the effort.

It’s a long shot, though and Danny is fully aware. Laura doesn’t seem the type to actually attend those things, and usually Danny isn’t either, but this one should be a little easier for Danny to digest. There are a bunch of freshman just itching to have the “full college experience,” so at the very least Danny could rationalize being there to watch over the newer students, the new Summer Society pledges being on the top of said list. Though Elsie and Mel will also be attending, more than likely so the baby Summers will have more than Danny to fall back on if need be, but Danny is easier to spot in a crowd.

Danny can’t even really concentrate on her book and gives up after about 30 minutes before finally giving in to her classwork that has been pleading to be done. It doesn’t take Danny as long as she thought to get some of the assignments done, but she still has the majority of a paper to write for her history class–however, that can be put off until tomorrow because Danny checks the clock and it’s around 6 o'clock already, meaning she has to start getting ready to go out.

Danny briefly considers trying to man this operation herself, but has to admit defeat–not really feeling like any of her outfits are working tonight. She’s too caught up in her head.

Which is the only reason she is standing in Mel’s room with Mel, Elsie, and Beth staring at her as if she were a ribeye  and they were starving as Danny pulls at the hem of her dress for the fifth time in the span of about 5 seconds–this was a mistake, and she is about to tell them all that until Elsie comes up behind her.

Elsie wraps her arm around Danny’s waist and is grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh, that is definitely the dress for such an occasion.”

Danny can’t help but turn to glare at Elsie, now. Just what is she trying to get at, here?

“And what occasion would that be?” Danny asks, eyebrow raised in Elsie’s direction.

Elsie claps her hand on Danny’s back as she replies simply, “Our dear Puppy Cap here has decided to go out and get a little wild, of course!”

Danny can’t help but groan at Elsie’s reply and turns to face Mel and Beth, her eyes hopefully conveying the pleas for help her brain is screaming at them.

Mel looks her over after unsuccessfully disguising her laughter as a cough, and launches into reassuring Danny that she does actually look really good.

“Danny, you can’t really go wrong with a little black dress, especially not with those legs of yours.”

Beth is echoing Mel’s sentiments, and Elsie can’t help but pipe up from beside Danny.

“Yeah, Cap. If you’re looking to get laid, this outfit is gonna do it for you.”

Wordlessly, Danny’s outstretched hand is pushing Elsie away from her by the top of her head, which Elsie balks at, loudly, until Beth throws a pillow in Elsie’s direction. This time, though, Elsie was too distracted by Danny to notice the projectile hurled her way and it hits her square in the face. Of course, that just has them hurling things at each other, yelling. Beth is threatening to kick Elsie out of the room because after all it is hers and Mel’s. Mel trying to stay out of it while Elsie tries to appeal to Mel in some half-baked appeal of good faith.

Danny just stands there, her hand still holding Elsie back.

They might all be crazy, and they might all be slowly driving Danny crazy, but the Summers are her sisters in ways that mean more than blood or bones–they were chosen, and Danny could never regret such a choice.

She only hopes she can eventually get the rest of her life in good working order with such ease. And who knows, maybe this party will be the start of as much. A girl can hope at least.

Danny can’t help but beam the moment she locks eyes with Laura at the mixer. But she’s not getting her hopes up. No, Danny Lawrence is _not_ getting her hopes up. They’re already higher than she anticipated–them getting any higher seems like a physical impossibility, or at least Danny likes to think as much, so she can lie to herself for a little while longer.

One day she may even believe herself.


	2. You're Like Gasoline On My Skin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny spends practically the whole night with Laura at the quad mixer and she doesn't regret a moment of it

Before Danny can properly process what is happening, Laura's hand is around her wrist, tugging her over toward the drinks. Danny pretends not to notice that just a few seconds ago, Laura's hand slid down her wrist and she is now gripping more at Danny's fingertips than anything else. Danny pretends not to notice that they are essentially holding hands.

But Danny _definitely_ notices.

It's over far too quickly as they reach their destination and Laura's hand in hers is replaced with a plastic cup full of some likely lethal combination of alcohol, but Danny makes a show of taking a sip anyway.

"So, are you enjoying the party?!" Danny asks, having to yell over the music and the other party goers.

They way Laura beams at her makes Danny feel like no matter how this night is going to end, it will be worth it.

"Yeah! It's so much fun!"

Danny knows that there is a thin line between what is acceptable and what is unethical. She knows she is flirting with danger--doing everything _but_ flinging herself over the precipice of ethical ambiguity and blatant disregard.

It's not like Danny has spent her years at Silas playing a saint. In fact, if anyone had taken the time to ask, they would get a very different telling of events. But it has never crossed this specific line. None of her former trysts were students she held any power over- unless you count age differences as such, but they never spanned enough years to really matter.  
Until maybe now.

Danny shifts her weight from one foot to another as Laura bobs her head and shoulders to the loud thrum of music. The bass is so loud it reverberates in Danny's chest.

Laura's upending her drink and Danny wants to ask just how many she has already had, but stops herself. As much as she told herself she was coming here to chaperon, she knew it was a lie. Besides, if she just stays with Laura for the majority of the night, she can look after her. It's a good enough excuse as any, and Danny will take it--But it's not as if anyone will really ask.

"Dance with me?!" Laura is all but demanding, her voice barely carrying over the music.

Danny leans down and pretends to have not heard Laura properly. It's an excuse to get Laura closer, and thankfully it works. Laura's hand is warm on Danny's shoulder as she uses Danny to steady herself while she repeats her words.

Danny heard her the first time; of course she did. But she nods along to the question as if there was ever a part of her that had a choice in the matter. Except Danny still has her cup filled with a drink she still hasn't been able to recognize, even after a couple of sips. Her back straightens, and Laura is looking at her expectantly. Danny can't help but fumble, her free hand making stilted gestures towards the cup in her other hand as if trying to convey without words that dancing just can't happen without setting her drink down, and they both know she can't do that.  
The second Laura's smile starts to falter, Danny upends the drink. She pays no mind to the burn and now she is pretty sure that parts of that particular mixture were a sipping drink and not something to chug, but if it gets Laura that much closer to her, Danny will gladly take the fire sliding down her throat tenfold.

It never comes to that, though; thank God.

This shouldn't be difficult—moving to the music, especially not with the promise of Laura being so damn close to her—but it is very difficult. Not that Laura is paying too much attention to her at the moment. Laura hasn't exactly dragged her eyes away from Danny since they first stepped into the throng of people that constituted a dance floor, but Danny is pretty certain Laura's world is slurred as much as her speech is becoming.

“You're too far away.” Laura's repeating herself, and finally Danny actually heard her.

About five seconds after the words register is the only open space in time where the warning hangs before Laura's hands are around Danny's waist, pulling her closer.

This should not be so damn difficult.

Danny's heart is pounding in her chest at the new close proximity of Laura—so hard she wonders if it will soon match time with the bass in the song currently raging in their ears. Danny doesn't get much time to consider the idea before the song changes and Laura lights up in recognition.

“This is my favorite song!”

Danny wants this song to last forever with just that information in mind, but when Laura pulls her down and wraps her arms around Danny's neck, Danny wants time to freeze right in that moment. The resulting actions were really beyond Danny's control, but Laura seems to not mind in the slightest given that the moment Danny rights herself with Laura sitting on her hips and her hands splayed against Laura's ass, Laura began rolling her hips into Danny's.

 _“I've been drinking, I've been drinking._  
_I get filthy when that liquor get into me”_

The irony of the lyrics hits Danny hard, but her focus is more on just how close Laura is and the intense stare in her eyes. Danny is jolted from her thoughts as someone crashes into her back hard, jostling Laura and forcing her to cling onto Danny, pressing her body even closer-- and previously Danny hadn't been quite certain that was possible, which is actually the best thing to be proven wrong about, even if in the worst way.

“Shit, sorry!” Danny's tripping over her words to apologize for something she didn't even do.

Laura's having none of that.

“You didn't do anything.”

Laura's words are warm against Danny's ear and she can't help but let Laura's sentiments sink in. She has nothing to apologize for, and Laura won't even accept it if Danny were to try again. So she doesn't even bother trying.

 _“Foreplay in the foyer, fucked up my Warhol._  
_Slip the panties right to the side_  
_Ain't got not time to take draws off”_

Laura seems mostly unfazed by the interruption, grinding her hips into Danny's again. Laura pulls herself back to face Danny, eyes searching Danny in a way that makes her think that maybe Laura can see straight through her-- or even worse, read her mind.

They keep that position for a while, Danny silently appreciating the friction against her hips, thankful that her and Laura's dresses are long enough for this position without flashing everyone on the makeshift dance floor. Laura's still looking at her as if she knows something that Danny hasn't dared speak aloud, though. In all honesty, up until this moment, Danny has been good about keeping her affections to herself, but she supposes grinding on the dance floor at a school mixer probably leaves little to the imagination.

Danny is terrified the moment Laura draws a breath in to speak, and quickly deflates as Laura words register.

“I have to pee.” Laura says before she's squirming to get out of Danny's grip.

Danny sets her down easily enough, but places her hand on Laura's elbow, enjoying her new found confidence in her physicality where this small girl is concerned.

“Do you know where you're going?” Danny can't help but ask the question, wondering briefly if she should escort Laura to the nearest corridor where a bathroom is located.

“Mhm, it's down there!” Laura says, pointing in the correct direction.

In all honesty, they aren't far from the bathrooms. It shouldn't be that difficult of a trek for Laura, but Danny still worries, even if the edges of her own world are getting fuzzier. But before Danny can move with Laura, a hand clasps on her shoulder, and Danny looks back to see Mel giving her what almost seems like a feral grin. When Danny drags her gaze back in Laura's direction, she's gone and so is Danny's former plan.

“Hey there, Beanpole. Having fun?” Mel asks.

“Erm yeah, did you see where Laura went?”

“Who?”

“Laura--”

Mel cuts Danny off with a snap of her fingers as her face lights up, a mockery of recognition.

“Oh! You mean the fresh meat you were practically fucking on the dance floor, Lawrence? I'm sure she's fine.” Mel sneers, and Danny wants to be anywhere else at this point, the feeling only growing as Mel continues.

“Remember to lock the door this time though, yeah? Wouldn't want to give the whole house a show. I don't think any of us want to...”

Danny has stopped listening, instead focusing her attentions on the people in front of her, scanning the crowd for any sign of Laura. Danny really should have gone with her given just how inebriated Laura seemed to be, and now Danny is kicking herself mentally as she maneuvers through the crowd, pulling her arm away from who she assumes is Mel, who tried in vain to hold her back. Danny can't really be certain whose hands were on her, though, because she didn't even bother to look back. Danny's walking into the nearest building just as a few of the other party goers leave, stumbling and laughing as they pass her, but they don't actually pay Danny any mind and she is grateful for that fact.

Before Danny can actually get down the hallway to the bathroom, Laura comes stumbling out, calling back to someone in the bathroom, still laughing and smiling. She throws that smile Danny's way, and Danny can't help but return a smile of her own.

The things Laura does to her without even trying might just break Danny to pieces, but she would welcome the shattering.

“I'll tell her!” Laura yells back, even though the bathroom door has since closed and whoever she was talking to previously probably wasn't able to hear her.

“Danny, Danny!” Laura starts in as if Danny wasn't already honed in on her. “Elise, no, Elsie—Elsie! _Elsie_ told me to tell you to not forget your socks?” Laura says, giggling but still somehow managing to convey her confusion.

“I don't understand, though. You're not wearing socks, are you?” Laura says before looking down, as if checking to make sure Danny actually isn't wearing socks.

“No I—It's just Elsie being herself. Ignore her” Danny says, trying to brush off Elsie's comment.

In all actuality, Danny knows exactly what Elsie was implying. The general rule around the Summer Society house is that when someone has company occupying their time and they don't want to be disturbed, they lock their doors and put some sort of indicator on the door—most of the sisters opting for a sock or some other simple object to tie around the doorknob. It's not as if Danny's own door hadn't been adorned with such over the course of the last month or so, but Danny wouldn't do that. Not with Laura in the state she is currently in—not with everything being so very blurred and not even their words having a true solid form to them. Elsie should know better and Danny is going to make a point of talking to her about as much as soon as she can corner the other girl. Now, however, Danny gets to focus on Laura for a little while longer.

“Mm, okay” Laura hums her agreement almost immediately.

Danny can't help but laugh.

“What's funny?” Laura's asking, brow furrowed.

Danny knew her habit of claiming Laura to be the human embodiment of Cuteness was a proper descriptor but it is only truly hitting her now, and she could blame the alcohol running through her veins, but she's only slightly tipsy—so, no, this is all Laura, and Danny can't help but fall.

“Nothing, nothing.” Danny says, attempting to placate Laura.

Not that it actually takes much when Laura is in such an inebriated state. Laura just shrugs and looks at Danny expectantly, offering her hand out to Danny who glances down but then takes it. Her reasoning being that first, Laura offered, and second, Danny doesn't exactly trust Laura to maneuver through the growing crowds of the party on her own.

Besides, Laura hand is warm in Danny's own, and it feels so nice to be able to give herself this small moment without having to build it up from something smaller. Sure, she is just leading Laura back to the party, but it's still time with Laura's hand in her own, and Danny will not deny herself the simple sweetness of the moment, even if the moment itself wants to tear apart some of it in the form of drunk college students wolf-whistling their way as Danny leads them out.

Only when Laura stops dead in her tracks, pulling back at Danny's hand, does Danny notice the shift in Laura's demeanor.

“Laura?” Danny ventures, turning back to look at Laura.

Laura's just standing there staring at her, and Danny's suddenly worried all over again. Was the hand holding too much? Laura offered her hand but maybe she rethought her offer and Danny didn't even take the time to notice? Had Laura been pulling her hand away the whole time? Or was it not that at all? Was Laura going to be sick? What had Danny missed?

Her mind is rolling into overdrive as she moves towards Laura, her hand dropping from Laura's own now, the small moment they had dying steadily. But that doesn't quite matter as much as finding out if Laura is okay.

“Danny?” Laura says, still staring at Danny in a way that's beginning to unnerve her.

Danny's even more worried now, figuring she somehow screwed everything up. Her hands hover just in front of her—her body poised to move whichever way Laura might dictate.

“What? What's wrong? Are you-?”

Danny is cut off as Laura steps forward, her hands cupping the sides of Danny's face. Danny doesn't know how to react, so she just doesn't—though her heart is hammering against her chest and her hands twitch, unsure of their purpose now. Danny just stands there, lets this happen, and tries to pretend like she's not hoping for the things she is hoping for.

“Danny...” Laura's voice is soft as she speaks Danny's name and trails off, her eyes searching Danny's face.

Danny can't help but read the utter seriousness in Laura features and tries to brace herself for Laura's next words, but once those words fall from Laura's mouth, Danny realizes that nothing she could have done would have prepared her for this moment.

“You're so hot. How—how are you so hot, Danny? Danny, I don't—you're just so hot. Your cheekbones--” Laura cuts herself off, her fingertips lightly tapping at Danny's cheekbones while she makes small noises at the contact, withdrawing her hands quickly, only to settle them back down on the sides of Danny's face again.

“Laura, I think--”

But Danny is cut off as Laura shushes her and steamrolls over Danny's words with her own, a look of absolute wonder crossing Laura's face now.

“They're so sharp—your cheekbones. You're so hot, Danny; it's not fair. You're just _so attractive_.”

Laura's voice goes deeper at the end of her sentence, and Danny lets out a small strangled noise because she does not in any way know how to handle this moment.

“I think we need to get you to your room.” Danny finally musters up the effort to respond.

She straightens her back and tries to fight the urge to give up the action when Laura starts pouting, making grabbing motions for Danny to come back and muttering about how it's not fair and that Danny is too far away.

It takes a self control Danny wasn't even sure she possessed to stand back up and place her hand on the small of Laura's back to start her walking towards the entrance to the corridor they are in. But somehow Danny did manage it and they are moving, her hand not leaving Laura's back.

“What building are you in?” Danny asks, looking down at Laura, who has been staring at her and muttering something under her breath the entire time, leaving Danny to navigate them both.

“So hot...” Laura mumbles, and Danny manages to catch it, but now is not the time—she needs information.

“Laura, what building are you in?”

Laura's brow furrows in confusion as she looks around them, and then back up at Danny.

“I'm not in one right now; we're outside at the party.”

Danny can't help but sigh, but tries to hide her frustration all the same. It's really not Laura's fault and besides, with her looking up at Danny with those eyes the color of honey, reflecting the light from the party and something that Danny can only read as adoration—Danny is a goner.

“Your dorm, Laura. What building is your dorm in?” Danny asks again.

Her hand hasn't left the small of Laura's back and she's trying to not focus on that fact—the ease with which their physical closeness is accomplished at the moment, but it is so hard to _not_ notice. Judging by Laura's actions tonight and her nonexistent sobriety, Danny doubts she will even remember much of what has happened tonight—but at least Danny will, that's a victory in itself, even if a fractured one at best.

“Oh, that's in Crowley Hall! Room 307—Danny, are we going back to my room?”

Laura's question hits Danny, and she realizes Laura hasn't been paying attention at all. Danny is glad she decided to go to the mixer tonight because if Laura had been alone in this sea of people, Danny isn't sure how the night could have gone—at least she knows now that Laura will be getting back to her room safely.

“Yeah, we are. Come on” Danny says, moving them away from the party.

They don't get too far before Laura stops dead in her tracks and starts grabbing blindly for Danny's hand at her back. Danny's pulling back once she realizes just what Laura is doing, thinking Laura finally came to her senses a bit and wants to create a distance between them. Danny is not actually prepared for what Laura ends up doing. She does grab at Danny's hand and pushes her arm off of the small of her back, only to then grasp Danny's hand in hers, firmly.

“This is mine now, Danny. My hand. Mine.” Laura states firmly, emphasizing her last few words with small tugs at Danny's hand.

“Well, it's still attached to--”

“My hand, Danny. I claimed it.” Laura's words are decisive, leaving no room for argument.

“Alright, it's yours.” Danny finds herself conceding.

They walk across campus back towards Crowley Hall easily enough—they've made it about halfway when Laura begins muttering to herself again, only to look up at Danny almost stricken. Danny really has no idea what is going on, but she is determined to find out.

“Laura, are you okay? Do you need--”

Laura cuts Danny off, squeezing Danny's hand and stopping their forward momentum to stand there in the middle of the sidewalk, gazing up at Danny as if it is the only thing Laura sees as acceptable in the moment, and while Danny does enjoy Laura's company, this night has taken some turns Danny hadn't been expecting.

“Danny, do you realize how hot you are?”

The words are out of Laura's mouth with a seriousness that has Danny laughing. Only when she realizes that Laura wasn't joking in the slightest does Danny sober up enough to give Laura a few quick nods making sure to maintain eye contact. It feels strange to reassure Laura that she knows she's hot—for one, it just feels odd to admit to anyone else that she knows she is attractive. But Laura is so determined to make sure Danny knows it that she sees no other course of action but to let Laura know she has received the message and understands.

“You're just so hot and you're smart, too and I just—wow, Danny. I think you might be perfect.”

Danny now knows what swooning looks like. The small drop in Laura's shoulders, the soft tone in her voice—Laura is smitten, and it's Danny she is smitten with. This night has been far more educational that Danny ever thought possible.

Danny's heart is hammering in her chest again as Laura just stares at her for a few more seconds before turning back in the direction they were heading, tugging on Danny's hand as she tries to drag Danny with her.

“Come on!” Laura yells back behind her shoulder at Danny, who is stumbling but keeping pace all the same.

Danny isn't going to pretend like she knows why Laura's demeanor suddenly changed, pushing them both towards her dorm room with a new found enthusiasm, but she'll take it if it gets them to the safety of the dorms quicker—standing out in the open like they were wasn't the smartest choice, if Danny was honest with herself. But getting to see the look on Laura's face when she started rambling about Danny possibly being perfect was almost worth the danger. Danny worries distantly about the fact that she would take danger if it meant Laura looked at her like that again, but she doesn't have much time to muse over the concept before they are standing in front of Crowley Hall.

Danny hadn't really seen much of the dorms at night, preferring to stay in the Summer Society house if at all possible. However, the dangers lurking around campus generally have other plans for her and her sisters. It's not as if Danny had much time to admire the architecture of Crowley Hall when in the middle of a battle, though. Usually when something was trying to kill her, they didn't give in to requests to pause for her to take in her surroundings.

In a word, Crowley Hall is sinister. A shiver goes up Danny's spine, but she isn't given too long to take it all in as Laura decides they need to keep moving right now. Danny follows Laura down the hallways until they finally end up in front of Laura's dorm room, the small placard on the door reading 307.

Danny stands there, her fingers twitching- a nervous habit she wishes she could break. She'd released Laura's hand a while ago and Laura actually let her this time, unlike the other times she attempted to disentangle herself from Laura's grip the moment they were in the building. It wasn't as if Danny wanted to break the contact- quite the contrary- but she didn't want to give anyone any more fodder than they might already have if they were the argue favoritism from Danny.

Laura doesn't have to unlock the door, though so Danny assumes their goodbyes will be said quickly until Laura turns back to her and grabs her wrist, pulling her into the room.

“Laura what are you--”

“You said we were going back to my dorm, so you had to come in.” Laura states, her voice a harsh whisper.

Laura motions to the bed farther from them, the lump underneath the covers Danny can only assume is Laura's roommate.

“Hi Betty.” Laura throws the comment towards the sleeping lump.

No response—but if Laura's intoxication is anything to go by, this Betty person may have just passed out- the very thing Danny hopes Laura will do soon.

Danny's eyes are adjusting to the darkness just as Laura trips over something on the floor. Her response was instinctive—had Danny even been given the time to think about what she was doing, she knows she would have done the same exact thing, though. Her arms are around Laura's waist in a second, holding her up.

“You saved me.” Laura says turning her face back towards Danny,

Danny tries not to think about the fact that Laura is letting her body sink into hers. Danny tries to not think about her fingertips sliding up Laura's sides—an action she probably shouldn't be doing at all, but still can't stop herself from doing all the same. When Danny's hands find a home near Laura's underarms, Laura twitches and giggles trying to get out of Danny's grip.

“That tickles!” Laura says as she turns to face Danny.

There is still some light in the room from the fairy lights strung on what Danny knows now is Laura's side of the room. Said small lights are now reflecting in Laura's eyes as they stand there for a few seconds just looking at one another.

“Sorry.” Danny finally manages to speak and apologize for accidentally tickling Laura—the pause in conversation wasn't long enough to make things awkward- at least Danny is hoping as much.

“Don't be sorry.” Laura starts in, going up on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around Danny's neck as best she can.

Danny instinctively leans down, it's just what she's supposed to do in these types of situations. However, she is regretting the action the moment Laura continues her statement.

“Just kiss me.” Laura says, leaning her face in towards Danny the slightest bit.

Danny wants to give in to the request. There is a part of her that wants nothing more than to give in and connect their mouths. But the louder parts of her brain is protesting that Laura is not thinking straight, and Danny doesn't want something like their first kiss to happen under motivations she would clearly and repeatedly doubt looking back on the moment.

So, she doesn't kiss Laura.

Danny's hands are on Laura's sides just below her ribs and she's pushing Laura back as gently as possible, her words soft as they crash against Laura's mouth.

“I can't—you need to sleep, Laura” Danny says, straightening back up.

“But I don't want to sleep,” Laura says, trying to tug Danny back down to eye level pressing her body into Danny's. “I want to kiss you.”

Danny can see the pout forming on Laura's face and she wants to kiss it off, nip at Laura's lower lip until Laura knows better than to use such underhanded tactics to get her way—but Danny knows better. She wants this to go somewhere good on the right terms. If this even goes anywhere to begin with. In all honesty, whatever this is between them could fall flat as soon as the sun comes up in the morning, but Danny hopes it doesn't.

“Get into bed. I'll get you something to drink.” Danny says as she tries to move through the room to the mini fridge.

Laura sighs, but Danny hears her plop down on the bed all the same. Danny makes it to the fridge and has to rifle around it for a couple of water bottles that were tucked all the way in the back behind soda cans and snack cakes.

“Aha!” Danny mutters to herself in victory as she grabs the bottles and the closes the fridge, turning back to face Laura, who is now laying on her side fully clothed on top of her covers.

“Here, drink this.” Danny says as she walks towards Laura, arm out, offering her the water bottle.  
Laura just grunts in response and blindly grabs for the water bottle before giving up, her hand falling back at her side with a heavy sigh as she mutters into her covers something Danny didn't quite catch.

“What was that?” Danny asks, moving closer to Laura, setting the water bottle she had been trying to give Laura down against Laura's hand on the mattress, the other Danny places on the floor next to Laura's bed in case Laura needs it in the middle of the night.

“I said it's hopeless, Danny!” Laura's voice is louder than she probably anticipated and Danny's leaning forward, her hands hovering just above Laura's shoulders as she tries to shush her.

“Hey, hey, volume. We don't wanna wake your roomie up over there, yeah?”

Laura picks her head up at that, her hair swishing forward and smacking Danny in the face. Danny straightens up at the contact, trying to save herself some of the pain, but she isn't fast enough.

Danny can hear the pout in Laura's voice.

“Danny, you're too far away.”

“I'm right here, Laura.” Danny says, rubbing her eye, blinking rapidly to hopefully get rid of some of the stinging, Laura hasn't taken notice, though and Danny is grateful for that fact.

“Mm, no, too far.” Laura says, making grabbing motions at Danny again.

Danny knows she should just tell Laura to go to sleep and hightail it out of there and back to her own room. But Laura is right there and pouting for Danny to be closer and for some reason that Danny still has yet to decipher fully, she is weak where Laura Hollis is concerned. That fact in itself should be a red flag—that fact in itself should have Danny running for the hills. But instead, Danny moves closer to Laura, within arm's reach, and Laura takes full advantage of that fact.

Danny hardly has any time to catch herself before Laura is pulling her down. Thankfully, Danny's hands hit the mattress on either side of Laura, holding herself up and keeping the smallest semblance of distance between them.

Laura's breath is warm against Danny's lips as she speaks, and Danny can't help but lick her lips, trying to force the urges back—closing this distance between them isn't an option right now. Laura deserves better than this—they deserve better than this.

“Stay here tonight.” Laura's asking.

It takes a few seconds for Danny's brain to work enough to understand that the sounds Laura is making are actually words and are, in fact, a request of her. Once the words click, though, Danny knows she's shaking her head no and pulling herself back.

“Come on, let's get you in bed.” Danny's words are soft, trying to stifle Laura's fight before she can realize she has one to make.

Danny leans down, grabbing for Laura's heels, unbuckling them and letting them fall to the floor with a clatter. Laura's nodding along, patting the covers of her bed as she curls her legs up on the bed now that she no longer has her shoes on. Danny thinks her retreat will be swift now, given that Laura has been lulled into a security Danny knows to be anything but false.

Of course Danny is proven wrong as Laura bolts upright in bed and Danny's moving backwards, trying to give Laura a free path to the bathroom—she assumes the alcohol has finally caught up with Laura's body-- but she is taken off guard when Laura jumps out of bed only to head straight for her wardrobe behind Danny.

Danny's moving with her, her hand on Laura's back trying to rub comforting circles into the muscles while also simultaneously leading Laura away from her clothes and to the bathroom—If Laura is going to be sick, she shouldn't be anywhere near her and her roommate's clothes.

“Laura, honey, come on, I'll get you to the bathroom if you're going to be sick.”

But Laura is waving her off, rifling through the clothes until she finds what she has been looking for, straightening her back and holding the items up in victory until she sways in her spot and grabs Danny's arm for leverage.

“Whoa there, killer. Let's get you back the bed, yeah?”

“Mm, no, Danny I have to change—I gotta--” Laura cuts herself off as she pushes the clothes in Danny's face as if to solidify her point that way.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely! I just...” Laura trails off, looking from Danny to the bathroom door and then back at Danny. “Maybe—Maybe help me get to the bathroom, though?”

Danny does just that, and now she's standing outside the bathroom as Laura changes. Anyone else would have left by now and maybe Danny should have just said her goodbyes at the door, but Danny just couldn't say no to Laura, and she hopes worriedly that it won't become a habit of her's to give in to Laura at every turn. Besides, logic is on her side—Laura is drunk and Danny is a concerned party—it would have been bad form to just leave Laura at her doorway when she wanted Danny to come inside, right? Danny is trying to comfort herself with that thought when suddenly there is a dull thud from the bathroom door and Danny is on full alert.

Before she can even get any words out, Laura is yelling on the other side of the door.

“I'm okay, I'm okay—promise!”

A few seconds later, Laura emerges from the bathroom sporting a tank top and pajama bottoms that in no reality were meant to be worn at the same time.

“Better?”

Laura's humming her response as she gives Danny a sleepy smile, barely able to keep her eyes open. Danny just wants to get her to bed, but not before she goes over to Laura's bed and uncaps the water bottle, handing it to Laura.

“Drink up, it should help.”

“Aye aye cap'n.” Laura mutters as she gives Danny a two finger salute before drinking the water.

Laura scrambles up on her bed after that, looking at Danny expectantly and Danny shifts her weight from one foot to the other because somehow in the span of about fifteen seconds things just got really awkward.

“Okay, well, um...sleep well, Laura.” Danny says, her hands moving with her words as if Danny can take this moment and rebuild it into something less stilted and uncomfortable.

Laura catches Danny's wrist and tries to tug her closer, but Danny stands her ground. Laura doesn't release her wrist, though.

“Not without you.” Laura states, trying to have some force behind her words, but they sound so tired that Danny has to bite her lip from laughing.

“No, no, Laura I have to go back to my own room. Besides, it's not like there would be much room on that bed for me. But I'll see you soon, okay?”

Danny's words are soft as she tries to deflate Laura's argument and maybe even lull Laura to sleep. Her hand goes around Laura's still wrapped around her wrist as she pulls Laura's fingers off of her. Laura isn't fighting her and this feels like a victory, even if a hollow one.

“Promise?” Laura's asking as she settles down in her bed, “You've got to promise. If you won't kiss me, you've got to promise I can see you soon.”

Danny isn't sure how Laura began dictating this entire thing, but Danny was never actually fighting it, and can't bring herself to start as much now.

“Okay, I promise. Soon.” Danny says before finally making her way to the bedroom door and stepping out into the hallway.

Laura had been muttering into her pillow as Danny left, and Danny isn't even sure what Laura was saying was English, but that really didn't matter. The small sounds leaving her mouth were happy, content sounds and that was good enough for Danny.

Getting back to the Summer Society house was a blur—Danny doesn't even remember walking there until she's climbing the stairs and heading into her bedroom, kicking off her shoes and watching them fly haphazardly across her bedroom floor before she plops herself into her computer chair.

She sits there for a few seconds, slowly swiveling the chair from side to side as she replays the night's events. Her eyes roam over her room, the hockey gear near her closet, the small garbage can next to her desk, the various textbooks and notebooks strewn across her desk, her desktop—just then her eyes flick to her web cam and her face lights up with the thought.

Before she can back out of the idea she has her computer booted up and her mouse hovers just above the red record button of her web cam's controls.

Best idea ever.

“Okay, okay, we're recording, right?” Danny asks, her shoulder blocking the frame until she falls down into her computer chair swiveling around more than she had first intended before righting herself and facing the camera again.

“Okay, good.” Danny says to herself as she beams at her computer and then flicks her eyes up at the camera, remembering to make eye contact there and not just stare at herself the whole time—even if she can see everything she's doing in the lower screen.

Maybe this wasn't the best idea...nah.

“So I went to the mixer tonight in the quad—it was so good. I'm well—I'm a bit tipsy.” Danny cuts herself off with a giggle before regaining her composure and looking back at herself on her computer screen.

Her hands are moving the moment she realizes her mistake, trying to remind herself to look at the camera.

“Camera, camera, right.” Danny says, her hands pointing at the camera before dropping down on the armrests of her chair.

Danny clears her throat before continuing. “Laura was there, right? And god she looked hot!” Danny's voice gets louder than even she anticipated when she starts in on Laura, but she quickly ducks her shoulders, her arms going up at her side in a hunched over position as if ducking from some unseen reprimand.

She's righting herself soon after realizing none of her sisters are going to start in on her volume level.

“Well yeah, she looked really good. And we um—we danced—oh god. She was so close and her hips! And I touched her ass-- did I mention that? I touched her ass, and by god, she has a great ass.” Danny's saying, her eyes wandering away from the camera as she speaks, talking more to herself than anything else.

“Ugh, such a great ass. And she kept-- get this, she kept telling me I was hot. And then—and then we got back to her room and she kept asking me to kiss her--” Danny cuts herself off, her brow furrowed in concentration as she thinks about her next words before jumping a bit out of her seat in exclamation.

“But I didn't! I know better than that!” Danny's hand is pointing up in the air as she tries to settle herself back down on her chair, her other hand clutching tightly to the arm rest.

“I wanted to, though—kiss her? I really, really did.” Danny words are getting lazier now, dragging out as she thinks over how badly she did indeed want to kiss Laura.

“But I didn't do it.” Danny says, her tone firm while she shakes her head “no” violently as if to emphasize her point, but she regrets the action as her world starts to spin more than it had been doing previously—maybe she is farther gone than she first thought—or maybe moving so much wasn't a good choice regardless of her sobriety or current lack thereof.

Danny's sitting there in silence trying to figure out what else she wanted to talk about. She knows there was something else, she just lost it—it was right there and then--

“Mel!” Danny exclaims, looking back at her computer, forgoing looking at the camera at this point.

“Mel was there, you know?” Danny starts in, “She was such a bitch. I don't know what's gotten into her lately.” Danny finishes, her voice softer now, contemplating her last exchange with her best friend as she picks absently at the cushion of one of the armrests on her chair.

“I never thought things would go this way tonight, you know? I just wanted to see Laura and then she was on top of me and begging me to kiss her and—it was a really good night.” Danny closes out the update with a dumb grin on her face as she thinks about Laura being so close to her, and the things she was saying, and the hand holding—she didn't even think to update about the hand holding! But Danny supposes she can keep some things to herself—some things can just be for her and Laura.

After a few seconds of Danny sitting in silence, she is shrugging and then she's up from her chair, her back hunched over but still managing to block the frame before she's clicking off the record button. Then she's doing something she is certain she will regret in the morning, but since there is no one around to actually stop her, she does it anyway--she's uploading the video to her channel before she crawls into the comfort of her own warm bed, flinging her clothes on the floor after getting under the covers, not caring where they land—at least not caring at the moment.

She meant what she told Laura, though. She is going to see her soon. At the very least, she will see her in class, but that isn't what either of them meant. Then again, Danny's pretty sure Laura might not even remember much of what happened tonight, if anything at all stays with her, which could actually have its own advantages.


	3. Slow Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny has a party to plan but she'd rather talk to Laura which is, of course, the main thing on Danny's mind that never seems to go exactly as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter that really has time skips. Enjoy!

“I give up!”

Danny groans, her words garbled as a result of one side of her face being pressed firmly over top of her closed textbook. Said textbook is actually not the cause of her frustrations, for once.

She has been staring at the back corner of her computer desk for the last thirty seconds trying to muster the motivation to keep going. Though she is steadily losing said battle as she stays locked in place, paralyzed by her overwhelming lack of motivation to do, or care much about, what she has been tasked with.

The Summer Society rush party is in a few days, and for whatever reason, Claire has decided to switch venues and hold the party outdoors – which means all of the party planning now falls on Danny’s shoulders.

Danny has to figure out where they are going to actually hold the party, who is in charge of bringing various refreshments, where they are going to store said refreshments, and safe areas for them to take the newest pledges in order to initiate them. And she has just three days to do it all.

Apparently, they are going to start the party at the house, and then move everyone to the woods after the initial rush of people showing up dies down. A few sisters will stay at the house in order to inform any stragglers of the change of venue, and Danny can only hope she will be among those chosen few. However, she knows she won’t be. Her position in the Summer Society dictates her appearance at the actual event, as well as chaperoning if it comes down to as much.

Needless to say, in all of this mess, she never did get to catch up with Laura. Except for a brief window of time between classes where Danny had enough forethought to ask Laura for her number.

There have been a few texts sent back and forth, but it is not the same- especially since Laura seems unable to recall the mixer at all. Danny doesn't want to push the subject, either—that was their first real interaction outside of class, and given that Laura can't remember it, it seems a bit out of place for Danny to be all over her. So the few texts they have sent were mainly about the assignments in class. Danny knows she could just tell Laura what happened, but given the things that occurred, Danny thinks Laura is better off without the memories.

She's trying to not worry so much about the distracted tone in Laura's texts, though. She has to constantly remind herself that Laura doesn't remember her from the party, so they are basically starting with a blank slate.

Danny's eyes flick to her phone sitting right next to her head--it hasn't gone off in a while, and if she's honest, she is hoping Laura will randomly ask her out for coffee, even if Danny hates the beverage. She would drink as much coffee as she needed to if it meant being graced with Laura's company for any space of time outside of class.

Elsie seems to be of the mind that there is a certain way one is supposed to text when interested in the person they are texting, though, and she is adamant that Danny is doing it all wrong. Elsie also likes to remind Danny of this fact, loudly, the moment she picks up her phone, even if she is only checking the time.

But planning the Summer Society mixer hasn't really granted Danny with much time to socialize, even if she’s just texting.

Technically, she isn’t alone in planning the event, seeing as Mel stepped up and offered Danny her time almost immediately after it was piled on her. Given everything else Danny has going on, she was immensely grateful for the offered help, especially coming from Mel. However, there is only so much of Mel Danny can take, and she sent her off, tasked with hunting down a space where they could feasibly set up camp for the party that wasn't too far from the main trails.

Danny's phone buzzes, and she tries to ignore that her body jumps into high alert as she picks it up and checks her lock screen. Unfortunately, the text is not from Laura, but from Mel.

The message simply reads “incoming.”

The five second window of time between Danny reading said text and Elsie storming into Danny's room is really all the warning she gets, which honestly could never be enough time for anyone to prepare for Elsie.

“You know, if you want a job done _right,_ you don't send _Mel_ out there to do it!” Elsie starts in, her hands moving in wide gestures with her words before her eyes catch Danny, who hasn't moved since she entered the room.

Danny doesn't want to move because moving means she has to start planning this again, and she _really_ doesn't want to plan the Summer Society's rush party anymore, not when she could be doing anything else—like practicing her next brilliant text to Laura that would probably lead absolutely nowhere, but at least she would have the opportunity to _try_.

Instead, she is in her room, her face planted firmly on her textbook, and Elsie is now eyeing her with an evil look that makes Danny want to be anywhere else—preferably somewhere Elsie can't follow.

“Fortunately for you, Mel had the decency of mind to ask for my _expertise_ before she bolted out of the house. I mean really, if you're going to have a party, I should be your first point of reference, Cap. You should know better by now.”

Elsie crosses the small distance between them and decides that Danny's head is going to be her newest resting place. Her arms fold over the top of Danny's head as her chin rests on the back of her hands while she speaks, and for once, Danny lets her.

“Aww, what's got our dear Puppy Cap so down in the dumps?”

“Maybe you being all over her is her issue, Rivers.” Mel calls from the doorway, a smirk on her face.

Elsies scoffs and straightens up, freeing Danny, who has now decided that staying down is not an option near these two- bad things would more than likely result.

“I resent that, Callis. I am a _god damn_ ray of sunshine!” Elsie starts in. “Just because you can't see that doesn't make it any less--” Elsie is cut off as Mel holds up her hand and steam rolls over Elsie's argument with her own.

“Clearly.” Mel says, her eyes roaming up and down Elsie before sliding her gaze to Danny. Mel then moves past Elsie altogether, closing the door behind her as she walks over to Danny's bed and sits down on the side facing Danny.

“So, we found a place not too far off from the main trail to set up—it's not far enough in to have to worry about any of the beasties out there, and even if it were, we're the Summers—we kinda know how to take care of it.”

Danny turned her chair to face Mel as she sat down, and she opens her mouth to protest because really, not everyone who is going to attend this party is a Summer. And besides, Danny doesn't want to add having to fight off wild animals to her list of duties that seems to be getting longer and longer by the second.

“No worries, Lawrence. Like I said, it's perfectly safe.”

“Yeah, because _I_ found it!” Elsie pipes up, walking over to Danny's bed and plopping herself down, laying on her stomach as she lazily kicks her feet in the air with her head resting in her hands.

“ _You_ weren't even supposed to be there!”

“Yeah, well, you asked--”

“You _demanded_ to know where I was going and I didn't want to resort to _killing you_ to get out of the house. I never asked you anything!”

“Whatever, I still found the place.” Elsie grumbles her argument with a roll of her eyes.

“So we have a place?” Danny asks, hoping to relieve some of the mounting tension between Mel and Elsie.

“Yeah, I can take you there today if you want. We've still got the daylight.” Mel replies.

“Yeah, that sounds--” Danny is cut off as her phone beeps, alerting her to a new text message.

She really tries to play it casual, turning back to her phone that is still sitting next to her textbook on her desk. But unfortunately, Danny can never really get anything past Elsie or Mel, and besides, the text actually _is_ from Laura this time. Danny lazily turns her chair back towards Elsie and Mel as she reads the text.

Received (15:04)  
Laura: I think my brain is melting from this paper.

Danny knows she's smiling down at her phone, but she can't stop even if she tried. Before Danny can even start typing out a reply, her phone buzzes in her hand again.

Received (15:05)  
Laura: It's not for Abernathy's class so don't worry. No ethical ambiguity here.

Received (15:05)  
Laura: Promise :)

Danny doesn't have much time to savor the moment, though as Elsie's voice cuts into her thoughts.

“Ooh, look at that smiiile.” Elsie sing-songs, wiggling her fingers in Danny's direction.

Danny looks up from her phone and rolls her eyes.

“It's nothing, really.” Danny says, trying to defuse the situation before it can blow up and become A Thing. Of course, Elsie's not going to give Danny that benefit.

“Doesn't look like nothing, Cap. Looks like you've got a crush going.”

Danny tries to ignore the grin on Elsie's face, and the growing warmth in her cheeks.

She's never usually this transparent, but then again, she's never really been legitimately smitten with a girl before. Until Now.

Until Laura.

“It's that frosh from the party, right? The one you got all Dirty Dancing with on the dance floor?” Elsie asks, waggling her eyebrows at Danny.

“How do you even--?” Danny's cut off by Elsie's explanation.

“Oh, Mel told me.” Elsie says, dismissing Danny's inquiry with a wave of her hand as if waving Danny's words away physically. “As if I was going to let something as juicy as _that_ tidbit get past me, Cap. I'm appalled that you doubt my investigative skills so much.” Elsie ends her little ramble with a suggestive look thrown Danny's way, kicking her feet in the air, tilting her head towards Danny expectantly.

Danny cuts her eyes at Mel, whose eyebrows raise in surprise.

“What? Were you trying to keep it a secret, Lawrence? Maybe next time don't do something in _public_ if you don't want it getting around.”

Danny opens her mouth to respond but doesn't get a word in edgewise before her phone is buzzing in her hand again.

Received (15:07)  
Laura: I think I can actually feel my brain dripping out of my ears.

Danny can't help but smile at the message and hastily inserts a sad face emoji, intending to write an actual response, but she ends up hitting the send button prematurely as a result of not expecting Elsie's next statement.

“She's really cute, though; I can see why you'd want to bang her, even in public. Then again, our dear Captain has always had good taste. Isn't that right?”

Danny looks up at Elsie, letting her thumb drop on the screen of her phone, not even paying attention to the fact that—yep, the message sent. Great.

“I—what?” Danny stutters, looking up from her phone quickly before looking back at it, wishing she hadn't been taken off guard. If she just hadn't sent the text, maybe she could have had some semblance of hope at a conversation with Laura.

Now though, Laura probably thinks Danny's blowing her off. She could just send another text, but Elsie's statement seems to be a bit more of a pressing matter.

“Wait, how do you even know what she looks like?” Danny asks, abandoning her phone and the texting endeavor as she pockets the device in favor of her Sister- whether or not Danny is going to strangle Elsie is yet to be seen.

“Uh, _duh_ , I talked to her that night.” Elsie says with a roll of her eyes before she sits up and pulls out her phone, unlocking and scrolling through it

“I don't even see why it matters.” Mel says, turning her attention from Elsie to Danny. “I mean, you slept with her already. Time to move on to the next girl, right? That's how you play it, Lawrence.”

“Well I--” Danny is cut off by Elsie.

“Oh, there it is!” Elsie exclaims, leaning over Mel and shoving her phone's screen in Danny's face- or at least as far as she can reach towards Danny from her position on the bed.

Danny takes the phone from Elsie's outstretched hand and holds it in her lap, looking at a rather blurry picture of Laura and Elsie in the bathroom of the Xerxes building. She swipes for the next picture and finds another selfie of the two of them, this one less blurry. Danny can tell Elsie was also hammered, seeing as the two sport matching overly-enthusiastic grins—but wow, Danny had momentarily forgotten just how nice Laura's smile could be.

“Keep going.” Elsie says, encouraging Danny to swipe a few more times.

Danny finds a few more selfies, these just of Laura alone grinning at the camera, her hand seeming steadier in these shots only having to work to get herself in the frame. Only when Danny comes across the video does she pause and look up at Elsie, raising an eyebrow at her.

Danny doesn't say anything, just lets her expression do the talking as she holds the phone back up, facing the screen at Elsie, silently asking permission.

“Go ahead.” Elsie sing songs with a flutter of her fingers in Danny's direction.

“It's like you two are twelve years old, honestly. We have better things to do right now.” Mel sighs, clearly annoyed.

Elsie shoves Mel's shoulder as she speaks. “We could be helping our dear Puppy Cap hook up with the love of her life right now! This could be a _momentous_ occasion! There is _nothing_ more important than this!”

“Plus, she's hot.” Mel adds with a disapproving tone and facial expression to match.

“Plus, she's _hot!_ ” Elsie echoes with a grin before turning her attention back to Danny, nodding and gesturing towards her. “Well go on, play it!”

Danny flips the phone back around so that it's facing her and holds it down in her lap before she actually goes about pressing play. It's one thing that Elsie seems to have made a video with Laura the night of the party, but it feels like some breach of trust for Danny to be watching it now. Especially since she knows for a fact that Laura doesn't remember much at all from the party—she clearly can't recall her time with Danny, at the very least.

But Danny presses play anyway. If Elsie is fine with it being played, then it can't be that bad- or at least that is what Danny tells herself in order to just feed her curiosity.

The video starts with Elsie and Laura posed, huge grins on their faces, but the phone is in Laura's hand, and after a few seconds she frowns at the camera before shoving it at Elsie. The phone is jostled and watching the screen change so suddenly and clumsily is making Danny feel a bit sick. But then Laura speaks.

“It's not working.”

Danny can't see Laura's face- the phone is pointed at her shoulder that is currently taking up the entire frame- but Danny can hear the pout in her voice, and parts of that night start flashing in her mind. Maybe messy memories, but still ones Danny wouldn't trade for anything.

“If you broke my phone—I swear I'll--”

Elsie's voice cuts in, and Laura cuts her off, placing her hand over the camera, which muffles the audio, but Laura doesn't leave her hand there for very long.

“I didn't! Besides, you said you would get those pictures to Danny, right? I look good in them and I want her to see.”

Laura's face comes into frame, and Danny knows she's smiling down at the phone, but at this point she's stopped caring. That was a good night and Laura did look good.

“Yeah, yeah, I'll play your little matchmaker.”

Laura looks stricken, as if a thought had just occurred to her.

“Oh my god, she's not, like, dating anybody is she?”

Elsies laughs on the video as it echoes against the walls in the bathroom.

“No, no. Danny's not exactly the dating type- I mean, she's not dating anyone right now.”

Danny can tell Elsie was trying to recover from the slip. It's not a secret that Danny hasn't actually dated anyone since she got to Silas. That's not to say Danny didn't get to know a good number of girls. She's had flings with a few girls that were supposed to be one night stands that turned into two week stands, and one that actually turned into a one month stand, but none of it was serious. Danny's philosophy is that she is young, just 21, there is no point in tying herself to any one person. In fact, seeing as most of her Sisters seem keen on doing the opposite usually has Danny rolling her eyes at the utter absurdity of the entire ordeal.

At the same time, though, she's never felt this way about someone before. The whole cliché deal of butterflies in her stomach, blushing at the thought of Laura, literally practicing in her head what she will say to her if they ever manage to get any time alone—and she doesn't even really know Laura yet.

Danny has so much hope that it's just a matter of timing, that given enough time, she'll get to know Laura. Really though, this entire thing could dissipate as soon as she actually _does_ get to know Laura. Danny's not pretending like this could be A Thing—but it feels good to be infatuated with the idea of who Laura could be, and she's going to let herself feel that for the time being.

“So you'll get her the pictures?” Laura asks, her voice sounding hopeful.

The camera turns around and an upshot of Elsie's face takes up the entire screen before she starts speaking, moving the camera up to her face.

“Yeah I will—oh shit, this has been recording the whole--”

The video ends there abruptly, and Danny looks up at Mel and Elsie. She's honestly not sure what to think of that entire thing. Sure, Laura seemed into Danny, but Danny already knew as much given what Laura had said to her that night. But Danny wasn't honestly sure how much she could trust the ramblings of someone that had literally been blackout drunk. Some people like to think that a drunk person can tell no lies, or at least that their inhibitions are so far down that they'll be as truthful as they can't be when sober. Danny's not quite sure if she believes that, but the video was entertaining, if very short.

“Well, that was--”

Danny doesn't get to finish her thought before Elsie starts in.

“Great, right? Give me that back.” Elsie says, leaning over Mel once again. This time, Mel doesn't take to it as easily and she shoves Elsie off of her before Elsie's hand can fully clasp around her phone.

Thankfully, Danny hasn't actually let go of the device and gets up out of her chair to hand the phone back to Elsie properly.

“Here you go.” Danny says, handing Elsie her phone.

“At least _someone_ here is a gentleman- woman- whatever.” Elsie says as she takes the phone back, cutting her eyes over to Mel in a glare as she speaks.

“So do you want--” Mel starts to say, but is cut off by Elsie, as per usual.

“Oh! You should totally ask her to the party!” Elsie exclaims, bouncing a little on Danny's bed in excitement.

“What?” Danny asks, taken aback.

It's not as if the idea hadn't crossed Danny's mind, briefly. So briefly it wasn't even anything to mention aloud, to anyone, _ever_.

“You should invite Laura to the rush party! It would give us a better chance to get to know her and see if she's worth your time- and hey, you'd be more in your element, right?”

“I don't think--” Danny gets cut off by Elsie.

For a sophomore, Elsie sure has no problem voicing her opinions, loudly and repeatedly, to anyone in the Summer Society. No matter their rank.

“Oh but you shouuuld! It would be great, and I'm sure she would like the opportunity. I mean, let's be real, who on campus doesn't want to be a Summer, given the opportunity?”

“Well...” Danny trails off, considering Elsie's words.

“Oh my god! What if she becomes a Summer, and you two fall madly in love, and--”

“Slow your roll, Rivers. We don't even know if this chick would make it past the first round of initiation rituals. Not just anyone can become a Summer, you know.”

“I'm sure she--” Danny's trying to fight the good fight in Laura's favor, but Elsie and Mel aren't exactly listening to her.

“But it would be so cute!” Elsie whines, bouncing on the bed again, her hands on Mel's side, shaking her as she bounces. Mel looks suspiciously like she is trying her hardest to keep up her unaffected, annoyed mask- and losing that battle.

“Cute is not the point, Elsie!” Mel argues.

“Cute is _absolutely_ the point, Melanippe.” Elsie shoots back.

Danny knows that wherever this conversation is going, it will not be good. Mel does not really allow anyone to call her by her full first name unless they are an authority figure or related to her by blood, and sometimes not even then. Elsie has just stepped in so much shit, and Danny doesn't want that war to be waged in her bedroom, thank you very much.

Just as Mel opens her mouth to respond to Elsie, inching closer to the girl in a movement that Danny can only hope is subconscious, Danny gets up from her seat and stands up, clapping her hands together to draw all attention to her.

“Okay! So, we have woods to check out, right Mel?” Danny says, trying to defuse the tension by taking Mel out of the situation entirely.

“Yeah.”

Mel's response is curt, and she hasn't even bothered to look up at Danny, instead opting to fix Elsie with a stare that Danny is thankful can't actually kill Elsie where she sits on the bed.

“Then come on, we only have so much sunlight left.”

Mel actually looks up at Danny at that. It takes a double-take to really get her attention, but Danny has it, now and that's all she could really ask for. Mel nods at Danny and gets up off of the bed. Elsie doesn't budge, though and Danny doesn't pay it much mind until Mel is at Danny's doorway, looking back at her expectantly.

“Rivers!” Danny yells, and even though she isn't looking directly at her, Danny catches Elsie jumping in fright all the same.

“Yeah? What?” Elsie asks, still laying on Danny's bed as if it were her own.

“Get out of my room, now.” Danny says as she turns back to Elsie, though she is smiling now, more from the satisfaction of catching Elsie off-guard, but smiling all the same.

“But Cap, your bed is so _comfortable_!” Elsie says half her sentence before burying her face in Danny's pillow, muffling the last half considerably, but Danny still caught the words all the same.

“Out.” Danny says as she moves and swats at Elsie's legs, moving up and landing her hand hard on Elsie's ass.

Elsie yelps and scrambles up, trying to shield the more vulnerable parts of her body. She is hugging Danny's pillow to her chest, though and Danny can't help but laugh at the sight of Elsie's indignant pout behind the pillow.

“Out, damn'd spot! Out I say!” Danny yells as she pulls Elsie up from the bed and ushers her to the door.

Elsie stumbles forward as Danny pushes her towards the door, and Elsie starts using the pillow to attack Danny.

“Fucking Lit majors!” Elsie says as she swings the pillow at Danny's head.

Mel is actually the one to catch the pillow in Elsie's hand and halt the imminent collision that was just about to occur.

“You heard her, Rivers.” Mel says as she snatches the pillow from Elsie's hand, throwing it at Danny's bed and actually managing to hit her mark.

“Fine, fine, I have better people to do, anyway.” Elsie says before turning on her heel and flitting out of the room, shoving past Mel.

Danny knows that last physical jab at Mel was completely intentional, but Elsie is gone now and whatever beef the two have between them can be worked out far away from Danny's room. Now though, Danny and Mel have a patch of woods to find and survey before the party on Saturday.

 

* * *

 

“So have you asked her, yet?” Mel asks as they make their way away from the Summer house and towards the woods.

“What do you mean?” Danny asks in reply.

Of course she knows what Mel means, she's wondering if Danny has asked Laura to the rush party, but she's been right next to her the whole time. She should know that Danny hasn't touched her phone since ushering everyone out of her room.

“The freshman; did you ask her to the rush party yet?” Mel clarifies.

“Uh, no, I wasn't sure—I mean it doesn't exactly seem like the thing to do, does it? I'm her TA and--” Mel cuts Danny off there.

“You should do it.” Mel says as she trudges forward ahead of Danny as they enter the mouth of the woods.

“You think so?” Danny asks, searching for approval.

It's not that Danny needs Mel's approval for anything. If she did, then Danny probably wouldn't do much of anything with how often the two of them butt heads. With this subject, though, with Laura, Danny isn't exactly certain on how to proceed, nor is she sure if it's even right of her to proceed at all.

“Yeah, I mean just asking her to the party isn't weird, Lawrence. She is a freshman and it is a rush party.”

“Yeah, I guess you've got a point there.” Danny concedes.

They walk a bit farther into the woods in silence, and Danny's wondering just how to approach the subject of asking Laura to the party as she fishes her phone out of her pocket. She's not really paying attention when they walk off the main trails and only glances up every now and again to make sure she doesn't run herself into a tree- and to make sure Mel isn't aiming to smack her in the face with a tree branch they have to duck under.

They finally stop, not too far from the main trail like Mel said earlier, and Danny takes in the spot they have settled in. It's a decent-sized clearing, and the main trail is close enough that even someone who hasn't spent much time in these woods would be able to find their way back towards campus easily, especially considering the signs they are required to put up clearly stating where the students should head in order to get back to campus.

All in all, it seems like a good spot to set up camp as far as the party goes, and Danny's glad she gave this job to Mel, seeing as it actually went well—plus it was less for Danny to actually do, which never hurts anything.

“You did a good job, Callis. This should work just fine for Saturday. You wanna go tell the other girls about it so we can get started setting up the signage and tables and stuff tomorrow?”

“You just want me gone so you can text your lady love in private.” Mel shoots back with a smirk.

“Oh shut up, she's not my _anything_.” Danny says with a roll of her eyes.

It's not a lie, though; Laura really isn't Danny's anything except technically her student. But Danny hopes that can change at some point. Maybe this party could change things if Danny gets some alone time with Laura outside the pretense of classes and assignments. Besides, Elsie did have a point; Danny would be more in her element at a Summer party.

“You should really keep it that way, Lawrence. Don't want to go breaking yet another girl's heart.” Mel says, her words sobering up now.

Danny knows she doesn't have the most stellar track record with the girls she's “gotten to know” over the years attending Silas, but Danny isn't a complete jerk, and none of the girls really held any grudges- as far as Danny could tell, anyway.

“I think I can handle myself, Mel.” Danny says. “Besides, don't you have a job to be doing?”

Danny rolls her wrist towards the main trail, trying to usher Mel back to the Summer house. Mel looks her up and down before responding.

“Just don't fly too close to the sun there, Icarus.”

“I'll be fine, really.” Danny says, attempting to reassure Mel that this isn't a big deal at all, no matter how much Elsie seems to want to blow the situation up.

Mel nods, and then is off, leaving Danny in the clearing by herself, phone in hand. Danny's never really thought about the fact that she gets crystal clear reception all over campus, but standing in the woods with full bars does seem a bit suspicious. She knows a lot of the students want to chalk it up to mystical causes, that the Dean of Students has put so many charms and hexes on this place and that somehow she took the time to make sure that the campus had cell phone reception everywhere- as if Dean Morgan was creating the campus in the image of every eighteen-year-old's wish fulfillment.

Either way, Danny is grateful for the reception as she pulls up her messages and texts Laura.

Sent 15:35  
Danny: So the Summer Society is hosting a rush party on Saturday and I was wondering if you wanted to come?

Sent 15:35  
Danny: It should be a lot of fun, actually. these things always are, really.

Danny's fingers hover over the keyboard as she considers typing out what she really wanted to say at the end. That she would love it if Laura attended. But Danny is trying to not be pushy with any of this. She extended the invitation, and that's all she can really do. In fact, it's more than any of the Summers really do for freshmen unless they are a legacy or some other upstanding status that they wanted to capitalize on. That's not to say none of the girls ever invited a girl they were interested in- it definitely happened. But as far as rush parties were concerned, most of it was the allure of a secret society that brought girls to them—well that and the promise of alcohol.

Just as Danny starts to doubt the merit of actually inviting Laura personally, her phone buzzes in her hand. Laura replied, and Danny excitedly reads over Laura's message.

Received (15:37)  
Laura: I really wish I could I'm just really busy with homework and roommate stuff right now.

Just as Danny's heart starts to drop into her stomach her phone buzzes again, bringing a bit of false hope with it.

Received (15:37)  
Laura: I would if I could though.

Received (15:38)  
Laura: :)

Received (15:38)  
Laura: *:(

Sent 15:38  
Danny: No worries, I understand. Some other time, then.

Sent 15:38  
Danny: :) :) :)

Danny then pockets her phone before heading back to the main trail and heading back to the Summer Society house. Sure, things with Laura were at a standstill, but at least she had the rush party to take her mind off of that issue—which really isn't an issue at all.

 

* * *

 

Somehow Saturday seems to have snuck up on Danny, and D-Day is at hand. Most of the girls have already started with their assigned tasks to make the party itself go off without a hitch. The house is decorated well enough to be the first pit stop on the way to the actual party, the food has been ordered and picked up, the tables have been lugged to the party spot in the woods, and a couple of kegs were purchased and are being guarded by the other officers as Danny breaks up a fight between Elsie and Beth in regards to the music they should predominantly play while the rush party is a house party.

“Oh come on, no one wants to listen to your hipster crap!” Elsie yells, waving a CD in Beth's face.

Beth doesn't back down, though, swatting the CD away from her face and getting even closer to Elsie than she had been before.

“Yeah, well, your fucking bubblegum pop is obnoxious as fuck!” Beth shouts back.

Danny walks up to them and puts an arm between them, forcing them back from one another. She doesn't want a physical fight to result from this argument. After all, Beth is a scrappy little thing and Elsie is, well, _Elsie_.

“Hey, how about we take it down a notch, yeah?” Danny says as the two of them look at her, glaring daggers before turning their attention back on one another.

“Tell her to get her head out of her ass, then!”

“Oh shut up, Beth. No one cares about your indie bands!”

Both Elsie and Beth yell at the same time, which just ends up being a mass of jumbled words and angry tones to Danny. Really, she's not exactly sure how to handle this, but she knows she needs to diffuse the situation.

“Okay, you two need to calm down--”

“I am calm!”

Both Beth and Elsie shout the phrase in Danny's face, and Danny thinks Elsie might actually be shaking from anger. This is not good in the least.

“Okay, you know what? I'm putting someone else on this music thing. You two are done!” Danny yells back at the both of them, and they seem to feel the weight of their missteps as they look at Danny, trying to argue why they should be given another chance to figure this out.

Danny doesn't want to hear it, though and calls another girl over and tells her she alone is in charge of the music for the party while it is contained in the house.

Elsie glares at Beth, and Beth glares back at her, but Danny's done delegating orders and turns to leave and head to the woods to see the progress on the party there. Just as she turns around, she hears Elsie mutter under her breath, and the resulting exchange between her and Beth.

“At least fucking you wasn't a mistake”

“You can do one thing right, Rivers. I'll give you that.” Is Beth's reply. “Too bad you had to fuck that up by sleeping with that chick from Crowley Hall.”

“Seriously, who needs that much eyeliner?” Is all Danny hears before the conversation gets eaten up by the other girls running in and out of the house, yelling something to someone as Danny leaves the house and finally heads for the woods.

The party is all set up in the clearing with obvious signs leading people towards the party, and then back out again if they need as much. Danny's actually proud of how she and Mel pulled this all together in just a few short days with their own classwork to juggle. And if the party goers reactions are anything to go by, everyone is enjoying themselves to the fullest- especially when they are led down to the woods and spot the kegs and the bio-luminescent candy bugs Danny roped the alchemy club into creating for them (which actually didn't take much convincing on her part, but she isn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth).

The party goes off without a hitch, and everyone is happy and drunk by the time they make their way back from the woods to their respective dorms. Danny wishes Laura had been able to come tonight, but at least she ended up having a great time with her sisters and got to shirk her responsibilities a little bit. Granted, said loss of control happened a little later into the night, but it happened all the same.

After what feels like ages, Danny is in her room at the Summer house. She leans back against her door as it clicks closed and kicks off her shoes, wanting little more than to get into bed and sink into the warm comfort of her pillows and sheets. Just as she falls onto her bed, her face pushed as far as she can get into her mattress, her phone chirps in her pocket, alerting her of a new text message.

Received (01:02)  
Laura: Hope you had a good time tonight. Really wish I could have gone.

Danny smiles down at her phone and considers her reply as she shifts position in bed to look at her phone while still remaining comfortable where she lies.

 

* * *

 

Danny meant to reply, she really did, but when she wakes up the following morning with a hangover that does not want to quit, she sneaks a peek at her phone only to realize she never actually sent the text message she had written out last night, and now would be far too late. Besides, moving isn't an option because just the thought of movement has Danny's stomach rolling in protest.

She shouldn't have drank so much last night, she knows that, but it just felt so nice to get a little bit out of control. She can remember bits and pieces from the party, but it's all pretty much a haze of alcohol, loud partygoers, and more alcohol.

Danny refuses to leave the comfort of her bed until late in the day. Finally, her body stops protesting its mere existence long enough for Danny to get out of bed. Just as she closes her door, she hears a voice from behind her.

“Oh my god, she lives!”

“Volume!” Danny whisper-yells at whoever it is behind her, though she assumes it has to be Elsie by the comment.

So when Danny turns around and finds Mel standing in front of her, it's a bit jarring, but not too surprising considering it _is_ Mel.

“I thought you were Elsie.” Danny says offhandedly.

“Sorry to disappoint, Beanpole.” Mel says as she wraps an arm around Danny's shoulders, forcing Danny to lean down a bit.

“I'm not--”

“Honestly, none of us have heard from Elsie today.” Mel says with a shrug “She probably just slept over at some idiot jock bro's dorm room—or is Elsie more of a Melissa Etheridge girl? Whichever, we just assumed she was too busy getting laid to call home. I'm sure she'll be doing her walk of shame back here soon.”

Danny doesn't think too much on it; it's not as if this is the first time a girl has slept over at another student's dorm. Sure, a lot of the girl's opt to bring someone back to their room, but there are a number of reasons they might opt instead to go to the other person's dorm room instead. Not everyone is cool with being kicked out of their room for a few hours when they're already home.

Besides, there are more pressing matters at hand for Danny- namely, eating something. She and Mel head down to the kitchen and Danny raids the fridge for the worst possible foods they have stocked that don't have someone's name written all over it. Hangovers respond to junk food, and Danny isn't immune to the charm of that fact. Besides, a handful of times giving in to her small chip weakness won't hurt anything.

 

* * *

 

The next few days are pretty uneventful except for the mounting anxiety in the house due to the fact that Elsie never came back on Sunday night. In fact, it's well into Wednesday and they still haven't seen or heard from Elsie at all. Sure, there have been girls that have gone missing on campus before, but it has never been one of the Summers that disappeared suddenly.

Claire has been trying to reassure everyone that Elsie will return just like the girls before her who randomly showed up a few days after their disappearances. Danny has a sinking feeling in her stomach, though that Elsie won't be that lucky. The only other time Elsie “disappeared,” she returned from her, “wild night” as she put it, all smiles and sass as per usual for Elsie. But this is different. Danny can feel it in her bones.

“I don't know, Mel, this just feels--”

“Quiet?”

“I was going to say weird. I know you don't really like her, but she's our Sister and she's just gone.”

“Yeah, I know, Danny.”

“I mean, what if something really--”

Danny is cut off by the alarms sounding, and shortly after, someone's banging on her door yelling about a Town Hall meeting being called. Mel and Danny get up and head out of the house. Maybe this will be the opportunity Danny has been waiting for—Maybe someone will actually listen to her about their missing Sister and do something about it after all.

The moment Danny locks eyes with Laura at the Town Hall, the overwhelming fear knotted in the pit of her stomach starts to unravel, at least the tiniest bit- it's something at least


	4. Sparks Fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The town hall meeting didn't go as expected but Danny made some headway regardless

High pitched screams fill the auditorium above the loud collision of arguments already going on, and Danny doesn't even have time to react before she is pelted with salted herring as a Zeta screams, “Summer Psychos!” from behind her and the other Summer Society representatives.

But it doesn't stop there; he decides to hit as many people in the crowd as he can, and suddenly, Danny does not regret anything she has ever said about the Zetas. Especially not when she sees that Laura has been hit by the fish, too.

It's obvious the aforementioned Zeta showed little care for who he hit by the small fish entangled in Laura's hair, and covering Laura's shoulders, and most obviously in the way Laura is holding herself--arms raised as if afraid to move in case a sudden movement prompts another wave of the attack. It's not long after that that the Dean calls a prompt and sudden end to the fiasco that has become the town hall meeting- or at least she _tries_.

It's on Dean Morgan's third try that anyone registers her words and they disperse. Though Danny notes as she looks around that most of the Zeta's are nowhere to be seen, which is a damn shame because she has some choice words for them. Even more colorful than the ones she and Mel yelled at the neanderthals when they kept defending their misogynistic pleas to “protect” the female student body.

Aside from the anger still simmering in her chest, Danny just wants to feel clean again. She's shaken off the fish that were on her shoulders and still clinging to her shirt, but she knows there are more in her hair and she doesn't even want to get into that without the grace of a shower, which is something she is determined to find for herself in the shortest amount of time possible.

Until Laura comes up to her, that is.

Really, these things can't be helped.

Or if they can, Danny knows she's not strong enough to fight the temptation. It's far too tempting a temptation and, well, Danny likes the way Laura smiles. But more than that, she likes being the reason Laura smiles. And right now, Laura is smiling at her. In fact, Laura is looking at her expectantly, and only then does Danny register Laura's previous words.

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, it wasn't a big deal. I mean, I only did what anyone would have done.” Danny says, her hands moving with her words, and she regrets the action as soon as a few more fish fall to the floor.

It's not the fact that the fish fell; it's that they were still there, and now she will forever carry the distinct memory of salted herring falling from her person in front of Laura Hollis. Laura, who still somehow manages to look good even after a salted herring attack.

“No, it was a big deal. I thought I was done for back there.” Laura says, her words earnest as they hang between them for a few seconds before Laura continues. “Hey, I um—I know you mentioned the Summer Society sister of yours going missing, and I have some research- well it's actually my journalism project, but it's kind of turned into its own monster or something.” Laura breaks eye contact and looks down, shaking her head slightly, smiling just the barest amount before she looks back up at Danny, who is glad Laura hasn't actually asked her anything because she is not one hundred percent certain she could properly string together a coherent reply at the moment.

Even if everything in Danny is screaming at her to just throw on the Lawrence charm and breeze her way through this conversation, she knows Laura is worth more than that. She's more than a notch in Danny's bed post- or at least, Danny wants her to be.

“Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to come back to my dorm room? To—to go over the information.” Laura hastily adds, her hands stuttering in front of her, and Danny can't help but appreciate the way Laura looks when flustered. “It might, I don't know, it might help some? I'm sure the like five people who watch my videos would love to hear your take on all of this.” Laura says as her hands fall back at her sides as she looks around them at the trashed auditorium before settling her eyes back on Danny. “This disaster of a Town Hall meeting included.”

Danny opens her mouth to agree to this suggestion, but only gets that far as a hand wraps around her arm, tugging her back.

“Come on, Lawrence!” Mel says, trying to pull Danny away.

Danny knows she should probably be moving. It's not as if there aren't a bunch of other students shuffling out of the auditorium, but she was having a conversation. A conversation with Laura Hollis that was about more than assignments—well, almost. Either way, Danny wants to count it as progress for them, and Mel is just ruining it.

“Oh! I um- no, I'm actually going to go to Laura's.” Danny finally finds her words as she pulls her arm out of Mel's grip with minimal force. It's not as if Mel will drag her back to the Summer Society house against her will or anything.

Mel stops and looks back at Danny, and then over at Laura before rolling her eyes with a sigh, as if dismissing them entirely.

“Suit yourself. If you wanna wander around covered in fish and smelling like ass, then far be it for me to stop you.” Mel says before turning around and heading for the exit of the auditorium, calling back over her shoulder to Danny, “I am using your shower and your amazing water pressure, though and you won't be there to stop me, Lawrence. Maybe reconsider this travesty of a choice you're making!”

Danny looks back at Laura and smiles. This won't be a mistake—besides, if Laura does have any information regarding the missing girls, then it’s absolutely an avenue she wants to venture down. But she'd be lying to herself if she tried to play it off as if those noble motivations were the only ones taking her to Laura’s dorm.

This is about finding Elsie, of course. The majority of it in fact _is_ about finding Elsie. But there is also a part of her that just wants to spend a little time outside of their obligations, and Danny's very rigid role as a T. A. with Laura. She wants to find out if this has any substance to it or not, because maybe then Danny will leave with more information about everything she's been mulling over the past few days, and that couldn't really hurt, right?

“Lead the way.” Danny says as she looks at Laura.

Laura licks her lips and then looks down momentarily before steeling herself, looking back up at Danny. And wow, she is the absolute cutest. Danny is certain of that fact.

Soon enough, they're out of the auditorium and walking towards Crowley Hall, shaking small bits of fish out of their hair as they walk, which is making the endeavor of actually moving away from the auditorium a slow process. Danny can't help but feel eyes on her, and she looks around her and Laura, trying to find whoever is staring.

She expects to find a Zeta staring hate into her soul, but instead finds a vaguely punk girl, who seems to be trying way too hard- and who doesn't want to address the fact that there is such a thing as too much eyeliner. Danny makes eye contact with her, but doesn't let her gaze linger on the girl. Danny instead refocuses her attention back to Laura.

“So you said that what you're working on is a journalism project?”

Laura looks up at Danny and smiles, nodding before speaking. “Yeah, it's um...” Laura pauses as she pulls out a few more salted herring from her hair, screwing her face up in disgust, and Danny can't help but find it endearing before Laura continues. “It's for Professor Cochrane's class?”

The last statement is more of a question, and Danny nods because she knows of Cochrane, though she never took the class.

“Like I said before, it's kind of become it's own thing—oh, turn down here.” Laura says as she points them down a path, and Danny follows easily.

“Why?” Danny asks, because in all of this, she hasn't really figured out _Laura’s_ motivations.

“Oh, did I not tell you? Um, my roommate- well, I guess former roommate, now. Betty. She uh, she was the first girl to go missing this semester—at least I think so?” Laura frowns before continuing. “But no one wanted to do anything, and I just—I couldn't sit around and do nothing, you know?”

Laura looks up at Danny at that, and Danny nods. Of course she understands that. It was the whole reason she went to the Town Hall meeting (aside from them being mandatory, obviously). She understands wanting to get answers, and to hopefully get someone she cares about back to her safe and sound. The Summers are her sisters, and Danny does not take that lightly.

“Yeah, yeah, I totally get that.” Danny says, and then a silence falls over them as Laura leads them across campus towards Crowley Hall.

The sun is setting as they walk, and Danny tries to pick up their pace, but she can only go so far because Laura is supposed to be leading. Laura doesn't remember the party or the events that transpired afterwards, meaning she has no recollection of taking Danny to her dorm before this. But being out on campus after dark really isn't something either of them should experience if they have any other option.

“So, what building are you in?” Danny asks, hoping that if she can get the answer, she can speed up this process.

“Oh, Crowley Hall.” Laura says easily before pausing, her hand going to Danny's wrist. “I just had the strangest sense of deja vu.”

It takes everything in Danny to rein herself in and not laugh at Laura's observation. There is a part of her that just wants to tell Laura what happened, but seeing as not much even occurred, it seems easier to just let Laura go on not knowing. Besides, Laura's hand is still on Danny's wrist, and she wants to savor the contact for as long as it lasts- Not that it lasts long at all, because just as Danny flicks her eyes down to Laura's hand, Laura drops her arm back to her side.

“Well, we should probably get inside as quick as possible. You don't really wanna be out after dark if you can help it.” Danny says, picking up their pace.

“Oh, uh, sure.” Laura says, jogging slightly to match Danny's pace.

Danny drops back enough that Laura doesn't have to keep struggling to match her stride for stride, but their speed has increased considerably, which is what Danny wanted. Before she knows it, they're stepping over the threshold of Crowley Hall, and Danny can finally breathe knowing that Laura is out of any immediate danger.

“I'm on the third floor.” Laura says, gesturing to the staircase to the side of them.

They start making their way up the stairs, passing other students as they go who are either returning from the town hall as well, or just trying to make their way out of the building. One thing that is consistent, even with Danny living in the Summer Society house, is the low hum of chaos just under the surface. There's really no way to avoid that, though, given how many different personalities are packed into a small space. Elsie was actually one of the more vibrant members—there was no way anyone could be in the house for long without becoming obscenely familiar with everything that Elsie inhabits.

A tinge of pain hits Danny in the chest at the thought of Elsie. They aren't the closest, sure, but she's a Summer and she's just disappeared. The Summers had been lucky enough to avoid the disappearances hitting them since Danny started at Silas, so to have one of their own taken is hitting her hard, especially when it feels like no one is willing to do anything to rectify the situation.

Until Laura.

It's surprising to realize someone so tiny is full of this undeniable fire to have justice served. Or at least that's what it seems like. Danny could be reading the situation all wrong, but Laura's the one making the videos and stirring up all kinds of fresh hell in order to get things moving to find these girls. Sure, Laura has some personal stakes in this, but that doesn't diminish what she's trying to get done.

But then again, this is just a journalism project, and maybe it got out of hand for a host of different reasons. Maybe Danny's giving Laura more credit than she deserves because she's hoping this will come to something. That Danny will find some answers in whatever Laura has decided to dive headfirst into.

“Here we are. Home sweet dorm room.” Laura says with a wave of her hand that makes Danny think of a game show.

“What's behind door number one, Bob?” Danny mutters to herself as she steps into the room behind Laura.

“Hm?” Laura hums as she looks back at Danny.

“Nothing.” Danny says as she walks around Laura's room, taking in the sights.

The twinkle lights hanging above Laura's bed are endearing, and so very Laura- at least from what Danny knows of her. She remembers them vaguely from the night she was in here, given that they helped her maneuver in the dark room, but seeing everything now with the lights on and without alcohol in her veins, she gets the opportunity to actually drink it all in, and she likes what she sees.

“Oh!” Laura chirps from behind Danny.

“What?” Danny says as she looks back at Laura.

“You um, you missed a few of the fish.” Laura says as she motions to the back of Danny's head.

“Oh, great.” Danny groans running her hand through her hair.

“You can, um, you can use my shower if you want? It's...well, it's not the greatest or anything because my roommate has a severe allergy to basic human hygiene, but I promise it's really not that bad.”

“Are you sure?” Danny says, raising her eyebrows at Laura.

“Yeah!” Laura says, a bit too enthusiastically.

“Well, uh, thanks.” Danny says as she heads for the bathroom.

“Yeah, no problem.” Laura says, her speech pressured. “There should be a clean towel hanging up in there already, so you should be set.”

Danny nods and then steps into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. Only when she pulls the shower curtain back does she realize that she will actually have to end up taking a shower. Laura never got around to installing her own shower head (as most students who live in the dorms tend to do), which means Danny is working with the basic immovable one. Her eyes flick to the faucet, but realizes that's out of the question, too given her height.

So, she starts the shower, letting the water heat up as she snoops around Laura's bathroom. There is no way Danny is going to let this opportunity pass her by. You can tell a lot about a person from their medicine cabinet, and Danny wants to find out what she can about Laura before she has to brave yet another conversation with her.

Unfortunately, all Laura's medicine cabinet tells her is that Laura doesn't have much to her name. There are a few things, though. Toothpaste, toothbrushes, hydrogen peroxide, band-aids... but not much else beyond that. Though it is a bit telling that the band aids that do occupy Laura's medicine cabinet are an unopened box of Disney princess themed ones, and a half-empty box of Superman themed ones.

Danny starts to close the medicine cabinet altogether in order to go check the temperature of the water, but a sticky note catches her eye, and then she realizes there are a few more that read out a small yet passive-aggressive conversation.

The first sticky note reads, “Do not use my toothbrush!” In what Danny knows to be Laura's handwriting. The second one, a little bit below the first, reads, “You can't stop me, Cupcake.” In what Danny can only assume is Laura's roommate's handwriting. Large, swooping, elegant lettering that contrasts heavily with the message written. The third and seemingly final note is a response from Laura, in all caps, “YOU ARE DISGUSTING!!!”

Danny can't help but laugh at that, and slightly mourns the fact that there are no more sticky notes to read of the conversation, but she assumes it was taken off paper and became an actual argument at that point, because Laura really had every reason to confront her roommate if she actually ended up doing as much.

Danny shakes her head at the ridiculousness of the entire thing before she closes the medicine cabinet and goes over to the shower, sticking her hand in the waters spray, the temperature finally being just right.

Danny strips down and sets her pile of clothes on the top of the closed toilet seat before walking over to the shower and climbing in, thankfully getting all of the fish out of her hair- though the endeavor wasn't the easiest one, with how long her hair actually is. But now she finally feels clean. Plus, there is a small part of her that hopes the body wash she chose was actually Laura's.

She doesn't linger in the shower despite wanting to do just that. The warmth of the water is tempting, but Danny pulls herself away, turning the water off and grabbing the towel off of the rack. Just as she goes to wrap the towel around her, she hears a dull thud from the other side of the door, accompanied with a hushed, “Ow! Shit!” from Laura.

“You okay out there?” Danny calls out, wrapping the towel around her middle.

“Oh, yeah, I'm um, I-I'm fine!” Laura replies, hastily.

“You sure?” Danny calls to Laura through the door.

“Y-yeah absolutely sure. Everything's fine out here! You just keep doing...” There's a slight pause, and Danny thinks Laura is gesturing towards the door- she knows it's something she would be doing in Laura's position, and it accounts for the pause. “Whatever it is you're doing in there.” Laura finally finishes

“Okay then.” Danny mutters to herself, smiling as she dries off.

* * *

Danny is smiling as she makes her way back to the Summer Society house. Things with Laura went well tonight; very well, in fact. The only lulls in the conversation were when they were just sitting there, looking at one another. It was better than Danny could have hoped for; a step in the right direction that hopefully leads to this thing actually becoming something substantial between them.

Just as she makes her way up the steps to the Summer Society house, her phone buzzes and chirps in her pocket, alerting her of a new text message. She doesn't go for it right away, preferring to be inside before doing anything that will take her attention away from her surroundings, but the second she steps through the front door and closes it behind her, she's fishing her cellphone out of her pocket.

Danny's eyes scan her lock screen and she grins when she realizes the text is from Laura. She expected a turn-around, but not quite so soon.

Received (19:21)  
Laura: Zetas have invaded my room :(

Just as Danny reads that text, another comes in.

Received (19:22)  
Laura: He just described himself as a “dude-scort”

Danny's frowning at her phone as she types back a reply, not even bothering to move away from the doorway.

Sent (19:22)  
Danny: Do you want me to come back and get them out of there?

Danny watches her phone intently, as if staring at it will somehow make Laura's reply come faster. Without realizing it, Danny's foot has started to tap impatiently—patience really has never been one of Danny Lawrence's virtues. She knows she should probably wait for a reply from Laura, but it's taking far too long and giving Danny reason to worry.

Danny pockets her phone and grabs the doorknob, turning it and rushing out the door and down the front steps of the house. She's not going to just leave Laura with idiot Zetas when Laura clearly doesn't want to be anywhere near them, and it's not as if Danny can blame her at all for that fact.

She gets about halfway across campus before her phone buzzes in her pocket and she's frantically pulling it out of her pocket again, scanning Laura's name on her lock screen.

Received (19:35)  
Laura: No, it's okay. Sorry for disappearing. My roommate came back and she got rid of them.

Received (19:35)  
Laura: But thanks for the offer :)))

Danny's momentum tapers out until she finally just stops dead in her tracks. Maybe heading out the door without a reply from Laura was a bit much, but she was worried. And besides, Laura never has to know that she made it halfway across campus in an attempt to, what? Defend Laura's honor or something? Seems that's exactly what Danny was doing, though she tries to justify her actions by convincing herself it really was all for Laura's safety, given the history of Zetas, especially where the female student body is concerned.

Danny types out a quick reply and then turns back around, heading back to the Summer Society house.

Sent(19:36)  
Danny: Yeah, of course. No problem.

That's where their text conversation ends, given that there really isn't anything for Laura to really respond to. And besides, it's getting late—late enough that Danny's considering holing herself up in her room and finishing up what homework she has left.

She finally makes it back to the Summer Society house, going slower than she had been when she was trying to get to Crowley Hall, given that there were no pressing matters to attend to there. But finally she is home and she just goes straight to her room, not caring about anything other than how inviting her bed sounds, even if she will only get the opportunity to study in it for the time being. It's not as if there is a lot of homework that Danny has left. In fact, what she does have isn't actually due this week, but she likes to get a jump on her work. Makes grading papers that much easier when she doesn't have much of anything else on her plate.

Danny gets to her room and leans back against the door, closing it behind her as she kicks off her shoes, flinging them across the room haphazardly. She stands there for a few seconds just playing over the events of tonight because there was so much that happened, and some of it wasn't the greatest. Being pelted by salted herring, for example.

But other parts of it were so good. Like Laura calling her amazing, or the looks they shared before Danny had to go and ruin it slightly by picking a stray salted herring out of Laura's hair. But even then, after that they shared a moment, and Laura looked at her as if—as if Danny was someone important, someone to pay attention to while she was there, and that made Danny's heart flutter, literally. In fact, that part seems like it should be mildly concerning, but Danny's chalking it up to stupid infatuation and nothing actually deserving of her attention.

“Okay, time to actually do something.” Danny sighs to herself, pushing her back off of the door as she grabs her textbooks off of her desk and climbs onto her bed, intent on finishing the reading for next week now so that later she can just skim it over for a refresher.

Danny's eyelids are getting heavier. All of this reading is finally getting to her, and she wants to just close her textbook and climb under her covers to sleep, but it's not even late enough that she could justify doing as much. Just as she considers saying fuck it all ad doing it anyway, there's a knock on her door.

“Come in.” Danny says, not really wanting to entertain anyone and whatever they might need from her right now, but also being thankful for the distraction they serve all the same.

“Hey, this a good time?” Mel asks, leaning her torso into Danny's room.

“Yeah, what's going on, Mel?” Danny asks, shifting in her seat on the bed and gathering up what books she had sprawled out, making room for Mel on the bed.

Mel walks into the room and sits down on the bed in front of Danny. They're both sitting criss-cross on Danny's bed and Danny can’t help but find amusement in Mel's mirroring.

“I just wanted to check in with you after that disaster of a town hall meeting. I know you've been taking this Elsie thing pretty hard.” Mel says, real concern evident in her features.

That's the one thing that really drew Danny to the Summer Society in the first place; the promise of comradery. It was one thing that they seemed to be about all the things Danny was: lots of outdoor activities, but they were a family. Danny could see that even as a freshman.

“I don't know how I feel, Mel. I mean, everything's just so fucked up, you know? I mean, one day she's here, and then the next--” Danny cuts herself off, her hands hovering in the air in front of her, as if she can reach out and grasp for her next word, but Danny doesn't even want to say it because saying it means it's real. Saying it means admitting that the Summer Society, that all of the girls Danny has come to consider family, are vulnerable; and Danny does not under any circumstances want to admit that, yet.

Thankfully, Mel doesn't make her admit it. Besides, it's not as if they both don't already know the end of that sentence.

“I know, I know. But we'll figure it out, Lawrence.” Mel says, her voice lower and softer.

Danny can't help but take comfort in Mel's tone of voice. Though the peace she finds is fleeting as everything comes crashing down around her. The fact of the matter is that they don't even know where to begin in trying to find not only Elsie, but apparently also Laura's former roommate, Betty.

“But we don't even know where to start. It's not like someone is just leaving breadcrumbs for us to follow!” Danny's hands move with her words that are becoming more frantic now as doubt sets in.

Mel's hand on Danny's knee brings her back down sharply, simply because she hadn't expected the contact, nor is it exactly wanted at the moment. But Mel's hand lingers there, her thumb moving up and down slowly as she speaks, trying to get Danny to relax.

“Like I said, we'll figure it out, Danny.” Mel says, her voice still as soft as ever, especially on Danny's name.

Mel's hand is still there, and her voice is soft and warm and comforting and it's too much because it's all lies. Nothing Mel is offering her is what Danny wants in this moment; as nice as she's trying to be.

Danny knows Mel is just trying to fix this, trying to calm her down but Danny can't handle it right now. “No, no, that's not—no.” Danny's up, knocking Mel's hand off of her knee in the process.

She starts pacing around her bedroom. It's getting her excess energy out at least a little bit. Everything feels like it's spiraling as Danny moves; everything is falling apart in Danny's hands, and she can't just halt the breaking. She just wants to find Elsie, to have some answers- or at the very least, have some sort of lead on this thing.

“Mel, we don't even know where to start, and every moment we take trying to figure this out, Elsie and that other girl are missing. Artemis only knows what's happening to them right now, and we're just sitting on our asses, twiddling our thumbs. And you're making stupid jokes ,and I just—we have to figure this out!” Danny knows she's rambling, she knows her speech is pressured and that Mel might not even be able to properly keep up with her, no matter that she's had a few years of practice with this sort of thing.

“Hey, hey, Danny, it's okay! It will be okay.” Mel says, getting up from the bed and walking over to Danny, who has finally stopped pacing.

Thankfully, Mel doesn't try to touch her again. There's a slight pang in Danny's chest at that thought. She doesn't want to be thankful that Mel didn't touch her. It feels wrong to be glad that her best friend is keeping her distance, but that's just where Danny is at at this point. She doesn't want to be touched. In fact, she's kind of worried that if anyone touched her right now, she might break apart, and Danny has no idea where all of these feelings came from, but then she thinks back and realizes they've been bubbling under the surface since the day everyone realized Elsie really wasn't coming back. Sure, it hasn't been too long since then- a couple of days, really, but it feels like a lifetime to Danny because she has absolutely no idea where her sister is, and that matters. That matters more than Danny realized, because it could have been anyone; it could have been Mel, or even herself. And beyond that, it was a Summer that was taken. They weren't supposed to be in danger on campus. Not like that.

It's not like Silas is the safest campus out there, but the things roaming campus are just the norm, now. Coming across escaped Alchemy Club experiments is just another Tuesday. Having to fight off a three-headed dog on the way to class is just another Thursday. Danny's gotten used to these things. Besides, the Dean has told them time and time again that they are safe, that nothing on campus can actually hurt them. Kill them, sure but that's just the luck of the draw. Distantly, Danny always wonders how these things became so commonplace to her, but then she remembers that every campus has their oddities- the Dean has reassured them of that fact, and really, if things were that bad, Danny would have left by now.

But this is different. This is a vulnerability they didn't see coming. This is something Danny didn't see coming, and she blames herself because it was a Summer and somehow she couldn't protect her. She failed Elsie, and all Danny wants is to have her back safe and sound.

“We don't even--” Danny cuts herself off, not wanting to repeat herself yet again.

Mel opens her mouth to say something else, but Danny really doesn't want to hear it, and she hates herself for that fact. Only then does it come to her that someone might have some answers. In fact, if they work together, they might both have the pieces to this god forsaken puzzle, and Danny's finally regaining some semblance of composure at the thought.

“Laura!” Danny says, pointing her finger up in the air at the exclamation.

“What?” Mel says, brow furrowed.

“Laura, we were talking tonight and she—look, she's been working on this project for class and it kind of—she might have some answers, okay? Don't give me that look, Mel” Danny finishes her statement with tired look at Mel.

Danny seriously doesn't understand Mel's hostility towards Laura. It's not as if Laura has ever done anything to her personally. In fact, Mel's never actually spoken to Laura, as far as Danny knows.

“You know what? _Fine_.” Mel says, raising her hands as if to wash herself of the entire conversation. “If you want to go running a wild goose chase with that girl, then be my guest, Lawrence.” Mel says, shoving past Danny before calling back over her shoulder as she reaches for Danny's door, opening it. “When you want to get actual results, you know where to find me.”

Mel leaves with a slam of Danny's door, and Danny just deflates, walking back over to her bed and sitting down on the edge of it, replaying the events that just unfolded in her bedroom. Sure, the conversation sort of spiraled into Danny's panicked rambling, but that doesn't explain Mel's rather violent reaction. Sure, Mel's worried about finding Elsie, too but that's no reason to lash out at Danny- at least she and Laura are going to try to figure this out—that's something.

Danny looks over at her computer desk and her eyes flick up to the camera. She knows she should probably make another update to her stupid therapy vlogs, but she really doesn't have the energy right now. Not after that conversation with Mel. All Danny wants to do right now is lay down on her bed and think about Laura smiling at her like she hung the stars specifically for her.

Danny falls back on the bed, her head hitting the pile of textbooks she forgot to actually put up.

“Ow, shit.” Danny says as she throws the textbooks to the floor before rubbing the back of her head and crawling up the rest of her bed backwards until she reaches her pillow and rests her head there.

Things might be an absolute mess, but at least something good did manage to come out of this night. Danny picks up her phone from the side table she tossed it on after getting into her bed to study and flicks through her pictures, only stopping when she reaches the drunken selfies of Laura's. Danny thinks the way Laura smiled at her was infinitely better, but she's not sure any camera could ever be able to properly capture that expression of Laura's, so this will have to do, for now.

Danny really hopes there is an opportunity given to her where she can take more pictures of Laura. She knows they'll be seeing more of each other- they agreed to start investigating this entire disappearance mess. They're going to start by comparing notes, and Danny doesn't have a lot to go by, but she hopes it will be enough when combined with whatever Laura might have at hand. For now, though Danny just lays there in her bed, looking at Laura Hollis beaming at her from her phone's screen, and it's a good of a way as any to end her day.


	5. A Fire In My Lungs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two words: pie date

“This is hopeless!” Laura grumbles before dropping her head in her hands, doing what Danny can only describe as a dog sigh.

They're in Danny's room at the Summer Society house, which isn't anything new considering the past few days have been full of classes and then research sessions with Laura that last until the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately, all of that time together hasn't exactly been fruitful, and it seems like that lack of progress is finally catching up with Laura.

“Hey, no, we've got this.” Danny says, nudging Laura's shoulder with her own.

They've taken up residence on Danny's bed, papers and books strewn out around them as they've tried to go over the bits and pieces they've been able to gather separately, and slowly string them together the past few days.

Not that anything they have come up with is remotely coherent, yet. But they're on the cusp of a breakthrough; Danny can _feel_ it. Laura, however, does not seem to be convinced.

“I really don't think so.” Laura whines, her head still in her hands as she falls on her side on the bed away from Danny.

Danny looks over at Laura and considers her options. It's still pretty early in the day and they haven't been researching for very long, so far but the days have begun to bleed together. This clearly isn't getting them anywhere, and they're both starting to feel the burnout. Granted, Danny isn't going to admit that to an already-defeated Laura, but she knows what they have and what they're missing—or at least she knows they're missing a lot.

Sitting in this room for another night, going over this information for the millionth time is not going to help, so Danny is going to fix this situation. That is who Danny really is; she's the Fixer.

“Laura, is this helping?” Danny asks as she looks over at Laura, who has pulled Danny's covers over her face in favor of her hands.

Laura shakes her head no, violently, and even if Danny wasn't looking, she would be able to hear it all the same.

“Are you going to sit back up?” Danny asks.

Another violent shake of Laura's head- though this one accompanied with a muffled, “No.”

“Okay, well, I'm going to head down to the dining hall and get some pie. When you're done sulking, feel free to join me.” Danny says as she scoots off the bed before standing up. It doesn't take long for Laura to react, popping up into her former seated position on Danny's bed, her hair a mess.

“Pie?” Laura asks, eyeing Danny as if this is some sort of trick.

“Mmhm. Wednesdays are pie nights; didn't anyone tell you?” Danny asks, clearly having garnered Laura's attention. “But if you don't wanna go...” Danny trails off, clearly goading Laura.

Laura thankfully takes the bait.

“No, no! I want to go, I just- just let me-” Laura cuts herself off, trying to smooth down her hair and straighten out her clothes before she moves off of the bed and stands up, walking over in front of Danny.

“Well then, let’s go.” Danny says as she motions towards her bedroom door.

Danny isn't exactly sure how she and Laura began walking arm in arm across campus to the dining hall- well actually, that's not true. It started with a joke on Laura's part. But here they are, and Laura hasn't let go, and Danny isn't going to break the contact until she absolutely has to do so.

This is a date. It wasn't supposed to be a date. In fact, it was _supposed_ to be a research session, but now it is a date. Danny wants it to be a date. Laura's arm is wrapped around hers, and they are going to the dining hall to eat pie together. This has all the markings of a date, and Danny wants to make that plain and clear to Laura while they are out, and she supposes she will have to gauge Laura's reaction to such.

The realization hits her that Laura might not want this to be a date, but Danny shakes that thought off. She saw Laura's video. Really, if anyone thought Danny Lawrence could resist watching her interaction with Laura back to herself the moment it was available- well, they would be very, very wrong.

Laura wants this to be a date, too; Danny is sure of it. So very sure. This surety comes from the way she saw Laura's shoulders drop when she was looking at her while Danny was looking away. This surety comes from the way Laura called her amazing. This surety comes from the adorable, uncoordinated happy dance Laura did once Danny closed the door upon leaving. This surety is not misplaced, because Danny could see Laura hanging on her every word the entire time she was in her dorm room last Wednesday night. But there is always the tiniest bit of doubt where Laura is concerned, and that's the strangest thing about Laura, Danny always holds some hint of doubt—even if just the barest amount, it still sits there.

Usually Danny knows exactly what to say or how to act to get a girl eating out of the palm of her hand. Usually Danny makes this more of a game. But everything with Laura Hollis so far has not been the norm but Danny is thankful for this small gleam of normalcy—this surety warming her chest as she moves them forward closer to the dining hall. Granted their pace is a lot slower than Danny's would be on her own—she has to account for Laura's height after all. But this is better, having Laura here is much better than going to get pie by herself so Danny is going to make sure Laura knows this is, in fact, a date.

“So do they actually have good pie or were you just trying to lure me out of the Summer Society house?” Laura asks breaking into Danny's thoughts.

“They have the best pie, I wouldn't lie to you about pie, Hollis.” Danny states with a grin looking down at Laura as they continue their lazy pace. “Or ever, really” Danny adds with a wink.

Danny can see Laura blush and she knows that's a very good sign. She can feel things between them finally balancing out into something she can recognize. This is what things with a girl generally feel like for Danny, with Danny having the upper hand. The small victory doesn't last long as a thought hits her.

“Wait, why would I be trying to get you out of the house?” Danny asks, her brow furrowing in confusion.

Really there isn't any reason to think she wouldn't want Laura around. Danny doesn't think she has done or said anything to make Laura feel differently but clearly something has happened and it was probably some off hand comment on Danny's part with her luck.

“Oh, um, I don't know. I mean, I'm not sure the other Summers really like me being around all the time. It's not like I'm a Summer after all.” Laura says with a shrug and seems to want to let it die there

“It's fine, really.” Danny says, trying to reassure Laura that her presence at the Summer Society house is perfectly acceptable. Laura's not bothering anyone; in fact, the few people Danny has talked to about it have all been hoping that Laura can help them come up with some sort of answers. Besides, the Summers don't have any sort of rules about guests so long as they're respectful of the shared space. Laura has never once done anything that Danny could see any of the other girls complain about. But just to be sure, she has to ask. “Has anyone said anything, though?”

Laura trips over her words to reassure Danny that no one has said anything out of line to her, really.

“It's just a vibe I get?” Laura's statement is questioning, lilting up at the end.

Danny opens her mouth to respond, but Laura's shaking her head and then giving Danny a smile that makes Danny forget what she was even going to say as she closes her mouth, returning Laura's smile.

“Maybe I'm just being silly. I do like being there.” Laura's hand grips Danny's bicep briefly to punctuate her statement, and Danny can't help but feel a swelling of pride in her chest. “I- I mean, we're getting so much done. Or trying to, at least.” Laura's smile falls at her last statement as she looks to the ground with a frown.

“We're trying, and that counts for something.” Danny cuts in, trying to lift Laura's spirits again. “Besides, I really think we're on to something. We're close; I can feel it.” Danny adds, looking at Laura, who met her eyes as soon as Danny started talking again.

“You sure?” Laura asks, keeping eye contact with Danny for a few seconds before returning her gaze to the campus in front of them.

“Absolutely.” Danny says, still looking at Laura a few seconds after Laura breaks eye contact.

Now, though, Danny has no choice but to bring her attention back towards the campus, and their destination that is thankfully in sight. A silence falls over them and Danny can feel that this one is finally not stifled, awkward, or strained.

For once, things seem to be clicking into place for them, and Danny couldn't be happier for this newest development—until she feels Laura's fingertips sliding down her arm.

She doesn't even think before moving her arm out a bit, still crooked to give Laura access to disentangle herself because that is what she assumes Laura is trying to do, and that's fine, really. But Danny was wrong in her assumption, because Laura just runs her hand down the length of Danny's arm and pulls Danny's hand out to her side before Laura laces their fingers together.

They're holding hands.

They're actually holding hands- and it isn't because Laura wants to lead her towards alcohol, this time. They are legitimately holding hands, and Danny can feel the tips of her ears growing hot as her heart beats faster against her chest. Maybe she won't actually have to try and convince Laura that this should be a date—maybe she and Laura are on the same page, if the hand holding is anything to go by. It's not as if the action was prompted by anything Danny has said, or serves any purpose beyond getting them closer together.

Danny likes the way her hand envelopes Laura's, even if they are holding hands with their fingers laced. Laura's hand in her own is small and dainty, but her grip is solid and sure. This is actually happening, and Danny feels like she should say something to mark this occasion- the only issue is that no words are coming to mind.

Well, words are coming to mind, but none she can actually say aloud without ruining the moment. It's not as if she can just blurt out how soft Laura's hand is, or how warm her palm feels pressed up against Danny's, or the fact that Danny is eternally grateful that her palm isn't sweaty and clammy.

Instead, Danny doesn't say anything, just let's them have this moment without words cluttering it up because nothing she has come up with so far feels right, anyway. Besides, she's not even sure how much longer they are going to hold hands, seeing as they are quickly coming up on the cafeteria, and maybe Laura won't want to continue to hold her hand once someone could actually see them together.

The moment they step over the threshold of the cafeteria entrance, Laura gives Danny's hand a squeeze and looks up at her and somehow, some way, Danny is not prepared in the slightest to really find herself looking down to meet Laura's gaze. Then again, Danny is pretty sure there is nothing on this Earth that could have properly prepared her for Laura Hollis finding her way into her life.

“You promised me pie, Lawrence. Time to pay up.” Laura says as she looks up at Danny, her expression somehow challenging Danny, as if she isn't quite sold on the idea of this pie.

“It's right over there, Hollis.” Danny says, leaning down slightly and pointing in the direction of the food counter, where slices of pie have been set out already.

They walk up to the student designated to swipe their meal cards, and that's the moment they break their hand-holding as they both fish their respective cards out of their wallets. Danny can't help but find amusement in the fact that Laura has a Velcro wallet- it's just so Laura.

Laura catches Danny's eye after she closes her wallet back up and blushes slightly in what Danny can only assume is embarrassment.

“It was a gift from my dad.” She offers up the information, raising the wallet in her hand slightly, and Danny can't help but notice the design on it has the cats from Sailor Moon sewn into it with what appears to be little hearts.

Danny absolutely melts.

“I think it's cute.” Danny says, attempting to reassure Laura that she really has no need to be embarrassed- it's just a wallet, after all.

Laura mutters something under her breath in reply, but Danny's not going to push the subject because Laura's cheeks have gone a shade redder, and Danny doesn't want to make things worse for Laura if it can be avoided. She wants this to go well, and embarrassing Laura, even as a joke, doesn't seem the way to go about things.

“So... pie?” Laura asks, looking up at Danny, her blush receding.

“As you wish.” Danny says with a flourish of her arm towards the pie, bending down a bit, making the motion very over-the-top. But it earns her a laugh from Laura, and that's what she was going for; anything to make her date a bit more comfortable.

They get that last two pieces of pie available because Danny wasn't exaggerating in the least when she told Laura that the pie at Silas is amazing; it really, really is. Distantly, Danny remembers wondering just what they put in these pies, but then she also recalls the Dean's reassurances that everything is fine, and that the recipe was passed down from her own family so she's not keen on giving it out to students. It seemed reasonable enough at the time, so Danny never pushed the subject.

Somehow, they manage to get a table to themselves. There aren't many more students milling around the cafeteria now that the sun is going down, and Danny can't blame them. Honestly, she wouldn't be out after sundown if it weren't for the promise of time with Laura that isn't focused solely on the dead ends they have hit repeatedly while trying to figure out these disappearances, which they've come to realize are kidnappings, if the card Laura found after Betty left is any indication.

“Well, how do you like it?” Danny asks.

She stifles a laugh as Laura looks up at her wide-eyed because she has just shoveled a rather large piece of pie into her mouth right after Danny got her question out. It takes a few seconds as Laura chews and swallows (so hard Danny actually hears it, in fact) before Danny gets a reply.

“It's really good.” Laura says with a nod of her head, grinning.

“I told you!” Danny says with a smirk as she shakes her head a bit. “This'll teach you to doubt me, won't it?” Danny finishes, her smirk having grown to a full grin to match Laura's own.

“Maybe.” Laura says, her expression skeptical as she raises her eyebrows at Danny before looking back down at her pie, and Danny can see the smile tugging at Laura's lips before she continues talking. “About pie, at least.” Laura finally finishes, taking a bite of her pie almost aggressively.

“Eh, it's a good start. I'll get that trust from you eventually.” Danny says, the words rolling out of her mouth before she can really think of what she's saying.

Honestly, Danny wants to have the opportunity to gain Laura's trust in that manner, but she also worries Laura might take the statement the wrong way. Her fears are abated as Laura replies.

“Anything you say, Lawrence.” Laura says, taking a forkful of pie and leaning towards Danny with it, holding her arm out as if offering Danny the bite of pie.

Instinctively, Danny leans in even though it doesn't quite seem to make sense that Laura would be offering her a bite of her pie. Laura quickly turns her fork back around to face herself and swoops in, swallowing the bite.

“Real mature.” Danny says, rolling her eyes, but her smile betrays her as she knew it would.

“I'm not here to be mature. I am here to fill my stomach with delicious pie!” Laura says, having swallowed the last bites of her pie and patting her stomach happily.

“You've eaten it all!” Danny says, pointing to Laura's empty plate.

Danny has about half of her own piece, still. It's not that she doesn't like the pie, it's that she'd rather have a conversation with Laura. Besides, the cafeteria serves pie every Wednesday night. She's sure she can get some more if the mood strikes her.

“Aw, I have.” Laura says with a pout down at her plate, her shoulders dropping.

Danny finds this reaction far too dramatic for the circumstances. Then again, this was Laura's first time ever trying the pie, and it seems from the speed with which Laura ate that Laura has a sweet tooth. Danny looks down at her own plate and the pie sitting there, and then back at Laura, who is trailing her fork over her empty plate dejectedly.

This was inevitable, really.

Danny slides her plate over towards Laura wordlessly, and she looks up at her almost in awe. Really, it's just a piece of pie, but seeing Laura so happy is totally worth it, and it's not as if it's some sort of huge sacrifice on Danny's part, after all.

“Really? Are you sure?” Laura asks, hesitant to take the pie offered her.

“Yeah, they serve pie here every Wednesday. Haven't you seen the fliers?” Danny asks.

“They have fliers for pie?” Laura asks, her words muffled by the large bite of pie in her mouth.

Danny can't help but laugh at Laura's confused and disbelieving expression. Danny's not sure if it's actually odd to have fliers announcing the school's pie nights when the pie in question is as good as this.

“Yeah, they have fliers for pie.” Danny says with a nod.

“Well, with pie this good, I can see why.” Laura says, digging in further to her pie.

Danny isn't really expecting it when Laura reaches across the table and sets her hand on Danny's as she takes the last bite of her pie. It seems a bit odd, even to Danny, who is welcoming the contact regardless of how out of place it might seem, but then Laura's next words click everything into place.

“Maybe we can make this a thing? I mean, it would just feel _wrong_ coming to pie night without the person that introduced me to this magnificence.” Laura says, stressing the word wrong with a frown that doesn't even last as long as the word itself.

Danny doesn't answer immediately because honestly, she's still reeling from Laura bringing up the topic at all. Laura wants to make this a thing. Laura wants to have a thing that is theirs. It's a small step forward but still, it is a step, and Danny wants to take it. Of course, that's the exact moment Laura begins to draw her hand back and Danny realizes she has been quiet for just a touch too long.

“I mean, if you don't want to, I'd totally understand. It was just an idea.” Laura offers up weakly, trying to back away from the topic, and Danny assumes she took her silence as a rejection, like any sane person probably would.

“No, no! I'd- um, I'd really like to do this again sometime. Next week, even. If you're free, of course.” Danny says, grabbing Laura's hand before she can actually draw it back to her side.

“Good.” Laura says with a warm smile, her thumb rubbing over Danny's knuckles lightly.

Somehow, after a conversation about favorite authors, classes, roommates, the varied Weird around campus, and other things that Danny will have trouble recalling later on, they have dragged themselves out of the cafeteria. The sun went down about half an hour ago, but things seem to be pretty quiet on campus, and Danny is eternally grateful. Really, the only troubling thing is being in the library after dark- things get a bit hectic in there, seeing as the library is more ancient sentient structure than anything else, and it doesn't exactly like visitors.

They aren't in the library, though and Danny can't help but replay the conversation she just had with Laura in her head. It's strikes her how similar it ran to conversations she had in the past. Ones with very different endings to the night. There's just something so classic about being the pretentious girl who used debating literature to get a girl's clothes off, and Danny can't deny having been that girl a time or two... or ten over the years.

Laura's arm is wrapped around Danny's as she leans in, and Danny thinks this is much better than just holding hands because it gets her even closer to Laura, and it hampers their pace, meaning they can take their time getting back to Laura's dorm room. Though she can’t help but notice that Laura is playing with the sleeve of her hoodie (her lucky blue one, which has definitely earned the title of “lucky” considering it’s what she’s wearing while on her first real date with Laura Hollis), tugging it down as her fingertips stroke over Danny’s left hand.

“I really enjoyed tonight.” Laura says, breaking the silence between them, her voice soft as her hands keep up their ministrations, and Danny wonders if Laura is even aware she’s doing what she is.

“Me, too.” Is Danny reply; she can feel herself relaxing into Laura, now. Letting the good mood finally take her over.

Of course, that good mood comes crashing down a bit the moment Laura speaks next.

“I mean, not about, you know...” Laura trails off, only to find her voice again after a second or two. “But the other parts, _our_ bits, that was...” Laura pauses as if trying to find the proper word.

Danny can see Laura's face in the moonlight, scrunched up in concentration, and then finally settling once she's found the most fitting end to her sentence. “Nice. Really, really nice.”

Laura looks up at Danny at that; a warm smile now spread across her face. Danny knows she has a matching smile for Laura because honestly, with Laura looking at her like that, how could she not? Besides, Laura just said their date was nice. Really nice, in fact.

“Yeah, I agree.” Danny finally manages to respond.

The rest of the walk back is slow, but they've found a steady pace, and the silence that hangs over them is comforting, now. Danny doesn't feel an overwhelming need to fill the silence with words, anymore. There's no pressure to woo Laura because she's already managed to do that, and beside all of that, they have been spending every day together for a while; Laura has seen Danny a bit frayed at the edges, already and stuck around. Danny's pretty sure if Laura was going to bolt, it would have been somewhere in the last week.

But Laura's still here, and they just went on what Danny now knows was a very successful date. Of course, she had already come to the conclusion herself that it was successful, but Laura echoed the sentiment- aloud in fact. So Danny at least has that.

Crowley Hall has finally come into view, and Danny can't help but be slightly disappointed by the sight because it means they are getting closer to their night being called to a close, and Danny wants nothing more than to prolong this good thing she now has in her hands. She wants something to solidify this moment, but it's not like she can stop here and ask to take a selfie with Laura, no matter how much she'd like to do just that. The thought lingers in her mind for longer than she will ever admit aloud. Staying out on open campus for longer than necessary isn't the brightest idea, anyway so Danny bites back the idea, knowing it was failed from its inception.

They walk up the steps, and Laura pulls away from Danny, though she slides her fingertips down Danny's forearm before tangling them with Danny's, and Danny thinks she could really get used to this sensation. Laura opens the door to Crowley Hall and grabs at Danny's hand more firmly, tugging her forward into the building.

Danny had every intention of following Laura into the building and walking Laura to her dorm room, but knowing that Laura isn't going to give her much choice in the matter either way is comforting in a way that Danny can't properly decipher at the moment. Later, she might look back on it, but for now, Laura's hand is warm in hers and that's all Danny wants to think about.

“It's just up here.” Laura says, starting them towards the staircase.

“Yeah, I’ve been to your dorm before, Laura.” Danny says, and winces as her words come out a bit harsher than she intended

“Oh, yeah. I guess all that time in the Summer Society house kinda got me all mixed up.” Laura says, her cheeks reddening slightly, and Danny feels like kicking herself.

The moment is fleeting, though as other students come out of their rooms and brush past them while others are huddled outside their own rooms on their laptops, clearly having been kicked out of their room in favor of their roommate's love life. Danny does not envy any of them and is very much thankful for her single room in the Summer Society house- not that she got it without effort. She very much earned her rank with the Summers, but still, the perks are very handy, especially when she wants to have some privacy.

“So this is me.” Laura says as they stop in front of room 307, the bronze numbers a glaring reminder to Danny that their night has almost officially ended.

However, Danny is not going down without a fight.

“Yeah, looks like it.” Danny says, looking from the numbers on Laura's door and down at Laura, their fingers intertwining and untangling as they stand there. Danny notes that Laura seems just as unwilling to let this moment go as she is, and that's a comfort in itself. Maybe this doesn't have to be the end. Or at the very least, Danny can make this night have an ending fitting of a successful first date.

“I really enjoyed tonight.” Danny says, her words softer as her fingertips trail over Laura's palm.

“Me, too. I enjoyed...you.” Laura finishes lamely, as if she forgot what she was saying mid-sentence.

“Oh yeah?” Danny asks, unable to keep herself from prodding at Laura's tiny fumble.

“I- I mean, enjoyed spending time with you.” Laura adds hastily, trying to correct her earlier mistake.

“I knew what you meant.” Danny says with a soft chuckle, leaning down towards Laura.

“Yeah?” Laura asks, slowly leaning up to meet Danny halfway.

“Mmhm.” Danny hums, her mouth mere inches away from Laura's.

Laura's already closed her eyes in anticipation, mouth slightly parted as she stands there waiting for Danny to close the gap between them. It doesn't take much for Danny to lean in and kiss her.

Kissing Laura is one of the better things Danny has done in all her life, if not the absolute best. Their first kiss is short and sweet. The second right after has a bit more force behind it as Laura wraps her arms around Danny's neck, her hand sliding into Danny's hair. Danny's hands go around Laura's waist, settling there as she pulls Laura fractions closer to her.

Danny is the one to venture a bit further, deepening the kiss. But Laura not only allows as much, she matches Danny for it, in fact.

Their moment is cut short as Laura pulls back, her forehead pressed to Danny's. They’re both panting a bit, and Danny never wants to leave this spot outside room 307 in Crowley Hall ever again because holding Laura close to her is the closest she thinks she will ever come to a perfect moment on Silas University's campus.

“I don't think we should be doing this in the middle of the hallway.” Laura finally says, her voice hoarse.

“Mm, yeah, you're right.” Danny says as she straightens up, though she leaves her hands at Laura's waist, unable to relinquish all physical contact between them just yet.

“Do you want to come inside? I think my roommate is still out.” Laura says before adding, “She sleeps all day and then stays out til early morning, usually.”

Danny doesn't even need to consider the offer before she's nodding her approval of the idea.

“Maybe we can get some leads on the disappearances, too.” Laura adds as she unlocks her dorm room.

They do not get any more leads. Or at least they haven't gotten any so far. Unless you count Laura leaning into Danny, making the sexiest little sounds as she kisses her, leads. Danny does, but Danny Lawrence is also obscenely biased because Laura Hollis is currently sucking on her neck. Danny hopes it bruises. As juvenile of a thought that is, she really does; she wants something to solidify this moment between them.

Danny knows exactly why she's so desperate for something to make this moment feel more real. The disappearance of Elsie has really sent her reeling. Everything she has can be taken away in an instant if she isn't careful, which has led Danny to want to be more in the moment of things, but also needing something to remember said moment by once they slip through her fingers.

“Come here.” Danny says, lifting Laura's mouth from her neck and kissing her roughly.

They don't stop kissing for a while until they find the overwhelming need to actually breathe demands as much of them. Only then do they pause, foreheads pressed together as they breathe in each other's breaths.

“You're a really good kisser.” Laura says, a line of awe in her voice.

“I can say the same of you.” Danny says, fighting the urge to kiss Laura immediately after saying that.

“Then kiss me again.” Laura responds, and Danny obliges, grateful that Laura has given her permission to fall to some of her base urges.

Laura is leaning into Danny so much so that Danny actually lays down on the bed with Laura leaning over her. Laura's hands are playing with stray strands of Danny's hair, and Danny's fingertips have just slid underneath the hem of Laura's shirt. There is nothing better than this moment.

Of course, that is the exact moment that everything is ruined.

The second the door opens, they both bolt upright, jumping like children being caught doing something wrong. Danny knows kissing Laura, touching Laura, having Laura so close could never be _wrong_ , but instincts are instincts and Danny is not intent on putting on a show. Especially not for someone Laura almost exclusively refers to as her roommate from Hell.

The girl, Carmilla, stares at them for the space of a few seconds before swinging the door shut behind her with her foot. Danny wishes she would just take the hint and leave; anyone else would. That is not what Carmilla is doing, though. No, Carmilla seems to be assessing them. Danny's fingers go to her lips absently; they're swollen because of course they are- she and Laura have been making out for quite a while.

It's not as if Danny intended for any of this to happen. Really, she didn't. She did want to kiss Laura good night, but that was all; the rest of this was just good luck on Danny's part. However, this girl who is far too good of friends with her eyeliner is ruining all of that good luck, and Danny just wants her to leave.

“Laura, you know pets aren't allowed in the dorm rooms, right?” Carmilla says, her hand on her chest as she looks at Laura, concern in her features.

Laura rolls her eyes as she replies, “What are you even talking about?”

Danny wants to echo the sentiment because seriously, where is this girl even going with this?

“Well, clearly you brought home a giraffe, which just made me think you didn't know the rules of our upstanding university!” Carmilla says, her voice switching from concern to condescending as the insult clicks into place.

“Hey, that's not- you can't just _say_ things like that!” Laura says, bouncing up on the bed as if contemplating the merits of actually getting up to confront Carmilla to her face.

Carmilla just brushes her off as she continues to the other side of the room and plops unceremoniously on her bed.

“You brought someone back here and didn't even lock the door when you started doing...” Carmilla pauses, gesturing to the both of them with a vague flutter of her hand. “-whatever it was you were doing.” Carmilla ends her sentence with a smug rasp.

Laura looks back at Danny helplessly. Danny knows she's trying to apologize without words and nods her understanding. Laura's shoulders drop as Carmilla reaches underneath her to produce a book she had been laying on and cracks it open.

“Danny, meet the worst roommate in existence, Carmilla.” Laura says gesturing towards Carmilla.

“Charmed, I'm sure.” Carmilla replies, not even bothering to look up from her book.

“Well, you want to dig into that research? We've still got plenty of time before it gets too late.” Danny offers up.

Sure, Carmilla might have ruined their makeout session, but Danny will be damned if she's just going to give in that easily and let this girl ruin their entire night, or cut it shorter than it could be.

Laura nods, and Danny puts her hair up into a ponytail because if they are going to do this, then the pettiest thing Danny can do currently without actually upsetting the precarious balance in the room is at least show off what she hopes are a few new hickies on her neck from one gorgeous Laura Hollis.

Only when Laura breaks out a tripod with a huge note pad on it does Danny realize just how seriously she is taking this suggestion of Danny’s. They’ve gotten some leads, and only as Danny goes to write the newest bit of information they managed to remember and deem worthy to put on the board does Laura call from over her shoulder.

“You mind if I record this for an update? I’ve actually got an insane amount of viewers, now.”

It’s not as if Danny Lawrence could ever be strong enough to deny Laura Hollis anything that could make her happy, so Laura starts recording and Danny can only hope she gets another enthusiastic introduction in this video like that last.

She does.

 


	6. An Inferno On My Fingertips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny gets some new information from the Alchemy Department and finally gets some quality alone time with Laura. AKA the first chapter that earns the Mature rating

The first thing Danny notices about the Alchemy Department is that it smells heavily of Axe body spray. The second thing Danny notices is that there isn't a girl in sight. These two factors combined is what leads her to unbuttoning the second button on her flannel shirt before she strides further into the building.

She walks down the corridor to the last room in the hallway, the one that has more shadows on the door from people shuffling around in the adjacent room.

Her next actions can't be helped, really they can't.

Danny opens the door wide and she can feel herself going into an abridged wonder woman pose, grateful that the hallway is lit well while the room she is entering is rather dim. Everyone stops and stares at her, though no one says anything. In fact, Danny wonders briefly is this is the first time any of them have seen a woman in the department at all who isn't an authority figure, like Dean Morgan.

So, Danny takes her cue.

“Hello, boys.”

The room is silent for a few seconds and as Danny’s eyes adjust to the lack of light in the room. She takes in the sight of slack jaws and unrelenting stares.

This is going to be far easier than she first thought.

She steps past the threshold and further into the room, her fingertips trailing lightly over beakers and vials before falling to the bare tabletop.

“So, which one of you is in charge here?” She asks, putting on her best rendition of a bedroom voice, figuring it will make these little creepers bend to her will faster.

From somewhere behind her, Danny hears what sounds vaguely like Kilgon being muttered while a boy in front of her whispers “Khaleesi” under his breath as she passes him.

That one statement hangs in the air for a few seconds before suddenly, they are all scrambling to get Danny’s attention and prove themselves the alpha male of her dreams. Of course, these hapless idiots have no idea that Danny is not on the market for male attention of any kind- unless of course it can get her closer to answers about Elsie and Betty, and prove itself useful in impressing Laura Hollis.

Finally, one of the guys pushes past the rest and settles the others down as he speaks above the hum.

“What- um, what can we do for you, m'lady?”

It is a testament to Danny’s strength of will that she actually doesn’t grimace at the sleazy little gremlin in front of her, though she really, _ really _ wants to do just that.

Danny hums low in her throat as she looks him over, pretending to find anything about his general demeanor impressive.

“Well, it’s come to my attention that you might have some information about the parties held by all of the various groups on campus.” Danny says, trailing her eyes up to the Alchemy dweeb’s.

She can see when her words click in his head because his demeanor changes as he straightens up and starts waving her off.

“I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I am positive we have nothing of the sort.”

Danny steps closer to him, invading his personal space and slamming into a wall of axe body spray as a result, but every great fight has its own personal sacrifices.

“That’s a shame. I would really be grateful if you  _ did _ have the information I’m looking for...” Danny says as she puts on a pout.

“Well, I mean, um, we do have pictures? F-from every party, you know.”

“Oh yeah? That sounds like exactly what I’m looking for.” Danny says, smirking.

“But um, we can’t just let you take them. They’re for a communications project we’ve been developing.”

Danny didn’t mean to actually ask because if she’s honest with herself, she doesn’t care. She does not under any circumstances care about what the Alchemy department is currently up to (mainly because it gives her plausible deniability if their newest thing goes horribly wrong, like their experiments are prone to do). She only asks by instinct.

“Wait, what?” Danny blurts out, despite herself.

That, of course, is when Mr. Uses-More-Axe-Than-Any-One-Human-Being-Should perks up as he begins explaining just what they have been working on.

“It’s fascinating, really.” His excitement falters for a second as he looks Danny up and down before continuing “Here, I’ll put it in layman’s terms for you, my dear.”

Danny’s crowning victory is that she manages to leave his face intact in this moment. In fact, she controls herself enough that the only outward sign that she is unhappy is a clenching of her jaw. She is a Goddess among men, truly.

“It’s a communications experiment. We plan on seeding an immense fungus across campus and–”

Danny cuts him off there because she is no saint, and he has been trying her patience since he opened his mouth.

“Well, that still doesn’t mean you can’t give me the photos. I’m sure we can come to an agreement, here.”

Danny regrets the words as soon as they are out of her mouth because she knows where this pompous idiot is going to take the opportunity she just gave him.

He licks his lips before speaking. Honest to god, licks his lips.

“I mean, I could see about getting you those pictures over dinner tonight.”

Danny doesn’t know what she would have said if he had left the statement at that. If that had been all he had done, she doesn’t know how she would have ended the conversation. But he didn’t.

He reaches out towards her and runs his fingertips down her hair before trailing them partway down her arm. Partway simply because that is the moment Danny reaches out and grabs his hand in her own, squeezing tight before bending his fingers back at a very painful angle.

“Two things: One, you will never touch me, or any other girl again without her express permission. And two, you are going to give me all of those pictures on a flashdrive right now, or I will break your hand.”

It doesn’t take long for him to decide to give Danny the pictures. As incentive, though she does not release him until she witnesses his other proto-scientist lackey load the pictures onto a flashdrive, verify they are there, and is handed them.

“Good doing business with you, boys.” Danny says with a flutter of her fingers in their direction as she pockets the flashdrive and heads out the door towards Crowley Hall.

* * *

 

There is nothing exciting about sifting through a ton of random pictures from parties- some not even in focus. In fact, Danny has decided to take things into her own hands and make the process more exciting.

“Hey.” Danny says with a nudge of her shoulder into Laura’s. “What do you think the conversation was here? Maybe something like–” Danny pauses, straightening up and moving her hands with her words in a manner far different from her own. Her voice also goes higher, taking on a more mocking tone. “Oh my god, Stephanie! I can’t believe Jared is wearing that shirt with that crown!”

“To which, of course, Jared’s only natural response is to strip out of said shirt in the next few pictures."

“Naturally.” Is Laura’s reply as she straightens up and looks over the pictures herself, grinning now as she squirms in anticipation of her turn.

“Or what about this one?" Danny asks, pointing at the screen as she flips through another few pictures to one they haven’t seen yet, letting the question hang between them for Laura to answer with her own joke.

 

"Well of course there is a pretentious debate going on in the background. I mean, what else do people do at wine and cheeses do other than try to show off how pretentious they are?” Laura asks, and then hits Danny’s arm lightly a few times, excited as she bounces in her seat.

“Like,” Laura straightens up and pitches her voice a few octaves higher “I really don’t know why we even came here, Sarah. None of these people have heard of our obscure music and no one is appreciating my nuanced faces as I taste the different wines. I could be in my dorm room right now, lamenting my existence occurring in this vapid era. But no, I’m here and no one is worth my time. God!” Laura finishes her joke and looks at Danny for approval, which of course Danny gives freely, laughing and agreeing with Laura.

“Oh my gods, I actually know some people like that!” Danny says between laughter. “Spot on impression, Hollis” She finishes with a grin down at Laura, who matches her for it all the same.

They sit like that, smiling at one another for a few seconds, and Danny can’t help but bask in the moment. This just feels so good and right and the only thing that could make it better is the moment just not being a fleeting one. But it’s not like they can reach out and cup this moment in their hands. It’s not something either of them have control over, but that doesn’t cheapen the moment in the least. Their moment.

“Danny, I…” Laura starts in, her voice soft and searching.

“Yeah?” Danny asks.

They both know, Danny is certain, that words aren’t going to do this moment justice. But Laura tries to fill the gap, regardless and Danny reaches out to meet her.

They haven’t gotten any farther and Danny wonders, briefly, if Laura even remembers speaking at all.

“I, um, I forgot what I was going to say.” Laura says as she breaks their eye contact and looks down at her lap.

“That’s okay.” Danny offers, and it really  _ is _ okay because Danny doesn’t want to talk right now.

All Danny wants to do is reach out and pull Laura into a kiss, but she’s not sure if Laura feels the same way. She thinks it might be mutual; like the temptation is just hanging there between them. Something she could almost reach out and touch if she concentrated hard enough.

“Really?” Laura asks, and Danny has already forgotten what she said.

“Hey, Laura?” Danny says, instead because replying to a question she can’t remember the context of feels wrong.

Laura snaps to attention at the sound of her voice, and Danny is grateful to have that eye contact back because Laura’s eyes tell her so much.

“Yes?” Laura asks.

There is a charge between them, and now Danny knows it’s not just her. Laura can feel it, too and wants it just as much. Still, Danny doesn’t dive in headfirst quite yet.

“I would-” Danny starts in, bridging the small gap between them. “-really-” She pauses briefly, trying to see if Laura will respond in kind and she does, leaning in to meet her.

“Yeah?” Laura breathes out.

“Like to kiss you.” Danny finally finishes her thought, but there really is little need.

They both know what is about to happen.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Laura replies.

And then Danny stops waiting.

Kissing Laura has yet to lose its appeal. Then again, Danny is pretty sure kissing Laura Hollis is never really going to lose its appeal as long as Laura allows Danny the opportunity. The one thing that takes Danny off-guard is just how forceful Laura is, leaning in and pulling Danny down to meet her.

They don’t get very far because just as Laura leans into Danny further, that is the moment Laura’s computer chair decides to roll away from Danny—the traitorous bastard that it is. Laura yelps in surprise as they pull apart from one another rather reluctantly.

“Hey, come back here, you.” Danny mutters as she drags Laura back towards her, the chair rolling easily back into its former place.

“I wasn’t trying to leave.” Laura says with a huff as she glares down at the chair before looking back up at Danny.

“Hi.” Danny says when Laura looks back up.

“Hi.” Laura quips in reply as she leans up and kisses Danny again.

Danny at least has enough forethought to disentangle themselves from this before Laura’s chair attempts to stage another revolution. But she is not strong enough to resist all temptation, and it takes a few kisses before she finally pulls back enough to speak against Laura’s lips.

“We should-” Danny starts, but doesn’t get very far.

“Please don’t say stop.” Laura cuts in.

“I was just going to say move.” Danny says before kissing Laura again because really, she can’t resist for very long.

“Oh, uh, yeah. That sounds good.” Laura stumbles around her reply.

“I mean, we don’t have to if you don’t want to...?” Danny ventures, leaving the decision up to Laura.

In no way does Danny want Laura to feel pressured into doing anything she might not want to do when it comes to, well...this. Granted, Danny hopes what they’re doing moves further than just a makeout session this time around, but she’s not holding her breath. 

Okay, maybe she  _ is _ holding out hope, but she’s not dumb enough to do anything that could take this choice away from Laura.

“No, no, I totally want to—I  _ do _ ” Laura says, her words rushing together as she tries to reassure Danny that she is  _ in  _ this.

“Well then, shall we?” Danny asks, motioning towards the bed with a sweep of her arm.

“Mm, yes, please.” Laura says as she stands up, leaning down to kiss Danny again, pulling Danny up from her seat as she does so.

Danny stands up easily, towering over Laura as she does. Danny can feel Laura’s pout against her lips, and she can’t help but say something as a result.

“What? Miss feeling tall?” 

Laura’s reply is broken up between kisses, but Danny pieces it together easily enough. “Yes, but kissing you is much better than feeling tall.”

“Glad you think so.” 

They eventually stop standing in front of Laura’s computer desk. However, it takes them longer than it ever should to walk the four feet from the desk to the bed, simply because Danny sees no real point in tearing herself away from an enthusiastic Laura Hollis- who, Danny is happy to note, hasn’t stopped kissing her since they’ve stood up, and who, Danny swears, tastes like sunlight.

“Moving, moving, we’re supposed to be moving.” Laura finally says as she pulls away from Danny, who only lets her get a few words out at a time before she is kissing her again.

“But kissing.” Danny counters

“But bed.” Laura argues, and Danny can find no fault in her logic, so they finally pull themselves together enough to walk to the bed, Laura leading with Danny's hands loosely grasped in her own.

“Hey, what about your roommate? She going to be a problem?” Danny asks even though she really doesn’t want to bring the topic of Laura’s absolutely despised roommate up, but it’s kind of an important thing to discuss before things go any further than they already have.

“She usually stays out all night until like noon or something. She won’t be back for hours.”

“So, we’ve got time?” Danny asks.

They’re dancing around the subject but at the same time, Danny knows they’re on the same page. Whether or not things go as far as sex has yet to be determined, but Laura doesn’t seem to be backing down- especially not as she replies,

“We’ve got all night.” 

“Good.”

Laura sits down on the bed and Danny follows soon after. 

Danny knows their lips are swollen from all of the kissing they’ve done so far tonight because it’s been what feels like hours, and they’ve just been sitting on Laura’s bed making out. Thankfully, at some point, Danny leaned Laura back so at least they got more contact in that sense, but nothing much more has happened. Finally, Danny ventures to push things just a bit further- something Laura can easily rebuff if she feels the need.

Danny’s hand goes to Laura’s waist and slides Laura's shirt up enough to free it so it hangs loose and gives Danny access enough to slide her hand underneath. Laura jumps at the contact, and Danny pulls her hand back immediately.

“You okay?” Danny asks, worried she has crossed a line.

“Yeah, yeah, just- you have cold hands.” Laura breathes out with a giggle.

“I’ll work on that.” Danny says, pulling back from Laura. 

Danny ignores the small pout on Laura’s face as she sits back up and rubs her hands together. That pout Laura was sporting has since faded as Danny makes a show of cupping her hands together and blowing on them, trying to warm them up.

“You dork.” Laura says as she pulls lightly at Danny’s hands, trying to pull her back to where she was.

“It’s endearing though, right?” Danny asks as she moves over Laura again, her hand moving back underneath Laura’s shirt.

“Are you really going for endearing right now?” Laura asks.

Danny doesn’t reply. Instead, she moves her hand farther up Laura’s torso and feels the muscles there clench. When she gets to Laura’s chest, Laura lifts up to give her better access to her back.

“Is this okay?” Danny asks, her hand hovering just above the clasp of Laura's bra.

“Yes!” Laura blurts out, her voice going an octave higher. “Y-yes, it’s okay. Good even, really.” Laura tries to reassure Danny, and Danny chalks Laura’s tense tone for nerves, but still has to ask again.

“Are you sure?” 

Laura meets Danny’s question with a look that Danny can’t quite decipher, but soon the look softens, and Laura’s nodding before speaking. 

“Yes, I am absolutely sure, Danny.”

Danny loves the way her name sounds in Laura’s mouth. In fact, Danny loves almost everything Laura says. But the way her voice softens on Danny’s name, like it’s something sacred or fragile; something to handle with care- Danny can’t get enough of that sound. 

“Good.” Danny says, her confidence reaffirmed as she pulls her hand back, realizing her previous goal would be hindered by the fact that Laura's shirt is still completely buttoned. 

Lust makes a fool of us all, apparently. 

She tries to make quick work of unbuttoning Laura's shirt, but isn't exactly going very well. She gets three buttons in before Laura's hands halt her motions and she takes over the task herself.

“Sorry.” Danny mutters as she feels her cheeks warm with her slight embarrassment. Usually she has more game than this. Then again, it's unusual that she gets to hook up with a girl she actually has feelings for.

“It’s okay.” Laura says.

Danny watches Laura's hands work as she moves down her torso, unbuttoning her shirt as quick as she can. Danny can’t help but notice that Laura’s hands are shaking. 

“Are you okay?” Danny asks, despite herself.

She has been asking that question nonstop it feels like, but Danny just wants to make sure that this is what Laura wants.

“I- I’m fine. Just nervous.” Laura says before pulling Danny in for a kiss.

Danny kisses Laura back, trying to put a bit more force into it; something for them to focus on and drive this moment further. Before Danny realizes what’s happening, Laura is squirming underneath her, and only when Laura's hands are on her shoulders does Danny register that she needs to stop and sit up a bit. 

Laura has been trying to take her shirt off. 

Danny feels a bit like an idiot for not realizing that Laura finally got her shirt unbuttoned and she just  _ forgot _ to take it off of her.Laura doesn’t seem to mind, though as she shrugs out of her shirt and flings it over her head. 

The crashing sound is what pulls their attention away from each other and over to Laura’s computer desk. Nothing actually fell off the desk, but Laura’s shirt  _ did _ hit the webcam- the webcam they actually forgot to turn off. Now it’s underneath Laura's pink button up sitting on it’s side. At least they won’t be on video.

“Delete that.” Danny says as she turns back to Laura, kissing her hard.

“I will.” Laura says.

The smart thing to do would probably be to get up and just turn the damn thing off, but Danny doesn’t want to do that. And judging by the fact that Laura hasn’t moved to get up either, it seems they’ll just let the webcam go for a while- it’s not as if  Danny doesn’t trust Laura to delete the recording afterwards.

As Danny settles back down on top of Laura, she makes quick work of unhooking Laura's bra and removing it, tossing the offending garment on the floor next to Laura's bed. 

Danny pulls back from their latest kiss to look down at Laura, who is lying there staring up at her with hooded eyes, bare from the waist up, and Danny thinks she couldn’t be anymore beautiful.

“What?” Laura asks, breaking the silence between them.

“Nothing.” Danny says with a shake of her head.

“No, what is it? Is it me? Am I...” Laura trails off, breaking eye contact with Danny

“You’re beautiful.” Danny says, and her voice sounds full of awe, even to her own ears.

Laura doesn’t respond with words immediately. Instead, she pulls Danny on top of her and starts to lift Danny’s shirt up her torso.

“I want to see you.” Laura says into Danny’s mouth.

Danny sits up on her knees and pulls her tank top up over her head and throws it across the room, not caring that it lands on Carmilla’s bed. Danny can get it later, and Carmilla never has to be any the wiser.

Laura’s hands are playing with the waistband of Danny’s jeans, tugging on them lightly as if she can actually get them off of Danny that way. Danny bends down and pulls Laura up a bit. Laura’s hands go to the back of Danny’s bra, only to flounder there as she doesn’t find what she’s looking for.

“It’s a front clasp.”

“Oh.” Laura says as her hands slide to the front of Danny’s bra and unclasps it that way. 

Danny lets her bra fall to the floor and sits there as Laura just stares; her mouth slightly parted as if she has never seen a sight better than Danny half-naked on top of her.

“So, what do you think?” Danny asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I think,” Laura starts as she pulls Danny down for a kiss “we should...” 

Laura doesn’t get any further than that before Danny’s tugging her pants off of her, and then making quick work of discarding her own. Danny braces one of her hands on the side of Laura’s hip while the other slides down Laura’s torso; fingertips trailing slowly as she gives Laura as much time as she might need to back out.

But Laura isn’t backing out.

In fact, Laura's hips are bucking up to meet Danny’s hands- or at least entice her to move a bit farther. Danny knows the anticipation can only make things better, though so she keeps her slow and steady pace. 

That is, until her fingers slide over the front of Laura’s panties, and Danny finds them already soaking wet.

“Shit.” Danny breathes out in response to this discovery.

Laura moans when Danny’s fingers press further into her; Danny’s hand still hasn’t even made contact with Laura's bare skin. Danny slides her fingers up and over Laura until she is at the waistband of Laura’s panties, wasting no time before sliding her hand underneath as her fingers find a home between Laura’s thighs.

“Oh god.” Laura breathes out.

Danny’s fingers slide over Laura’s clit, and Laura bucks her hips up, trying to meet Danny for the movement. Danny’s fingers press in further, applying more pressure as she starts with slow circles until Laura’s hips are moving faster.

“What do you want?” Danny can’t help but ask.

“Faster, more, please.” Laura whimpers, trying to increase the friction from Danny’s hand with her own movements, Danny knows.

Danny moves her fingers over Laura’s clit faster, applying more pressure as she does so. Laura moans louder as Danny increases her speed, and then whimpers when Danny’s fingers move lower, sliding down to Laura’s opening, her fingers sliding inside of Laura easily.

“Danny!” Laura moans Danny’s name loudly, and Danny knows she has never heard her name sound so damn good.

Danny sits there for a few seconds, her fingers buried inside of Laura, just taking in the feel of actually  _ being inside _ of Laura. 

“Please!” Laura whines as she moves her hips.

Danny comes back to herself and moves her fingers in and out of Laura, trying to find her g-spot while her thumb works over Laura’s clit in faster hard circles. Danny knows the moment she finds Laura’s g-spot because Laura arches her back and pulls at her bed sheets, moaning loudly.

Danny keeps moving over that spot as much as she can before she feels Laura’s body tighten around her fingers, and Laura’s hands move from the bed to Danny’s shoulders, her nails digging in.

Laura Hollis is a screamer.

“Danny, oh my god! Danny! Danny!” Laura screams, her body tensing with her orgasm.

Laura actually came a lot quicker than Danny first anticipated, but Danny is not complaining in the least. Once Laura's body actually allows her to, Danny is pulling her fingers out of Laura, licking them clean.

“Mm, oh god.” Laura whimpers as she squirms underneath Danny.

“Good?” Danny can’t help but ask, even though she knows the answer to the question.

“That was-  _ wow. _ ” Laura breathes out, her voice shaky as she comes down.

Danny can’t help but kiss Laura at that because  _ damn _ does she look good after getting off. Besides, it’s one of the best feelings knowing that she, Danny Lawrence, just got Laura Hollis to scream her name. There is a selfish part of her that hopes the majority of the floor heard Laura, and knows exactly who made Laura feel so good.

“I want to make you feel like that.” Laura says as she kisses Danny, moving down to Danny’s neck.

“By all means.” Danny mutters.

Laura moves to switch their positions, but given the size of the bed versus Danny’s height, that plan just isn’t working out. Instead, Danny has to get up, and Laura stands up too, pushing Danny down lightly. The force of Laura’s push wasn’t really enough to make Danny go down, but she does anyway, getting them to this quicker.

Soon, Laura’s on top of Danny, her mouth on Danny’s neck, sucking and nipping lightly at Danny’s pulse point. Danny can’t help but let her hands wander a bit to cup Laura's ass as she grinds her hips into Danny’s.

Then Laura’s hands are wandering as well, her fingers sliding down Danny’s torso, moving smoothly underneath the waistband of Danny’s boxers. Danny feels her abdomen clench at the contact and can’t help but laugh a bit at her body’s response.

“Kiss me.” Danny says as she draws Laura closer to her. Laura obliges, pulling apart just enough to suck at Danny’s lower lip, an action that draws a moan from Danny.

When Laura's fingers slide over Danny’s clit, Danny can’t help but move her hips into Laura’s hand. She wants this just as badly as Laura seems to want to give it to her. 

The only issue is that Laura is starting off a bit too rough for Danny’s liking.

“Hey, um, just a little lighter.” Danny mutters against Laura’s neck.

Laura pulls back enough to speak. “What?”

“It’s a bit too hard.” Danny says, wishing she didn’t have to say anything; she doesn’t want to kill the mood but at the same time, she wants there to be a mood that she can enjoy.

“Oh, sorry.” Laura says and lessens the pressure, moving in fast clumsy circles on Danny’s clit.

This is not going to get them anywhere. Danny already knows it, and she wishes she were wrong.

“Maybe...um, can you go down on me?” Danny asks, unsure of how to really approach the subject in a delicate way.

“Oh, yeah, sure.” Laura says pulling her fingers out from between Danny’s thighs before pulling Danny’s boxers off of her completely.

Laura seems a bit hesitant at first, kissing her way down Danny’s body slowly, her pace agonizing.

“You- you uh, you don’t have to if you don’t- ah!” Danny was trying to tell Laura she really doesn’t have to do this if she doesn’t want to, but before the full statement is out of her mouth, Laura’s mouth is on her.

At first it feels good; the slick friction always seems to. In fact, it’s a lot easier for Danny to get off this way, which is why she suggested it in the first place. Unfortunately, Laura can’t seem to find a decent pace. it’s not even that Laura's going too slow or too fast, it’s that she’s not really consistent in any way.

“Circles.” Danny tries to supply Laura with a bit of help because after all, every girl you go down on likes different things, and who knows? Maybe the last girl Laura was with liked an extremely varied pace.

Laura begins licking circles around Danny’s clit, and that starts to help, but then she moves back to what she had been doing before, and Danny loses what pleasure she was gaining.

“Suck it.” Danny says, bucking her hips up, trying to gain some friction she can actually use.

Laura says something in reply, and Danny thinks she was asking what Danny said, but it was too muffled and then Laura’s doing exactly what she asked, so Danny figures the information got to her soon after the question was posed.

This...isn’t working.

Laura has been at it for a while, and Danny has been trying to help her out by telling her what to do, but Laura just falls back to her failed first attempts, and Danny...Danny is out of options.

She doesn’t want to do this. She really doesn’t. It’s not like faking an orgasm is a common occurrence with her. In fact, usually Danny just tells whoever it is that she’s not going to be able to get off, and they go their separate ways. But this- this is Laura Hollis, and Danny is smitten. There is no way in hell she is going to let Laura be discouraged or disappointed in herself. Not now; not because Danny can’t just get with the program that Laura is dishing out. 

So, Danny does what needs be done. She starts off slow, moaning louder as she arches her back, pushing her hips into Laura. Then she clenches her body, whimpering as Laura keeps whatever paces she had settled on this time, and then finally Danny relaxes, falling back onto the bed, pulling Laura up to meet her in a kiss.

Kissing means they don’t have to talk, and it gives Danny just a bit more time to avoid lying if Laura attempts to ask her how she was. Danny doesn’t want to lie flat out. Skirting the issue is more her style, and she hopes Laura will let her do just that.

Thankfully, Laura pulls away from the kiss and settles on top of Danny’s chest, apparently satisfied with the show Danny put on for her as confirmation enough of her apparent satisfaction. 

Danny feels rotten, but at the same time, at least she knows Laura doesn’t. Besides, one missed opportunity for an orgasm isn’t the worst thing ever. 

Except the thought hits Danny as she lays there with Laura cuddled into her chest, her fingertips playing lightly over her freckles (Laura’s tasked herself with counting them) that this might just have to happen again if she pursues things with Laura. 

Bad sex isn’t exactly a deal breaker for Danny, but it’s close.

Danny is jarred out of her thoughts as Laura stops counting and sits up, her hand on Danny’s chest used as leverage. 

“We should shower.” Laura says before giving Danny a quick kiss on the lips.

“Mm, just- let’s just lay here for a few?” Danny replies, knowing she has to keep up the facade.

“Need time to recover?” Laura says with a smug little smirk

Danny kisses that smirk right off of Laura’s face because again, talking right now is bad. 

Finally, they disentangle themselves from one another and the bed and head to the bathroom. Laura rushes into the bathroom and Danny follows behind at a lazier pace. Danny makes it in as Laura is bent over the tub to turn the shower on. 

Danny is not greater than the temptation presented to her so, of course, she smacks Laura’s ass. Laura yelps in surprise, her hands trying to cover herself as she jumps around, glaring at Danny.

“Just for that, Lawrence I am getting the water first!” Laura states, her tone firm.

“Yeah, because I had any hope of being in front first.” Danny mutters.

There is no way showering together in Laura's tiny bathroom is going to be particularly enjoyable for Danny, given that she is actually taller than the shower head and Laura seems intent on taking all of the hot water- but at the same time, Danny gets to be naked with Laura longer, and there is hot water involved now- or there will be, once the shower heats up.

They make out while they wait for the water to heat up. Danny’s hands go to Laura's ass, squeezing tight because Danny was not lying when she said Laura has a great ass in one of her vlog updates. The vlog that has pretty much been abandoned in favor of spending more time with Laura.

“Mm, water’s hot.” Laura mutters against Danny’s mouth.

The bathroom is full of steam, and the lure of being under a hot shower sounds fantastic, even if Danny doesn’t get to be under the spray right away. But at the same time, Danny has Laura’s ass in her hands, and she is hard pressed to find a reason to let go, until Laura pulls away and tugs at Danny’s hands, trying to pull her into the shower.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming.” Danny says as she follows Laura into the shower. Finding a position that actually allows them to stand together comfortably takes a bit, but they manage. Basically, Danny is never going to get to be under the water while it’s still hot- or at least, that’s how it feels currently.

“Laura, it’s my turn.” Danny says, leaning down so that her mouth is pressed to Laura's neck. 

“Mm, but I’m warm.” Laura mutters in reply.

“Yes, well, some of us want to be warm, too.” Danny grumbles.

“Fine, fine.” Laura sighs out as she tries to move past Danny so she can get under the water.

Laura actually slips as she moves past Danny, and thankfully, Danny manages to catch her before she can actually fall.

“You saved me.” Laura says, her tone a mixture of adoration and dripping sarcasm.

“Oh shush.” Danny says in reply before giving Laura quick kiss on the lips, moving Laura behind her as she does so.

The water hits Danny’s shoulder and she can’t seem to find much of a position that works for her and will still allow Laura to be in the shower behind her. It doesn’t help matters that the moment Danny’s body blocked the spray, Laura started whining for the warmth back, her body wrapped so tightly to Danny’s back that Danny wonders if Laura is trying to make them one person by sheer force of will.

“Danny, I miss the warmth; give it back. You’ve had it for aaaaages.” Laura whines against Danny’s back

“I have been up here like a minute, Laura.” Danny states, wrapping her arms around Laura as much as she can, blindly as she puts her arms behind her back. “Sharing is caring, remember?” Danny finally finishes, smiling because she knows Laura is not going to take that last statement too well, if her earlier complaints are anything to go by.

“Well then share the warmth!” Laura gripes.

Danny doesn’t say anything, just lifts Laura’s arms from around her as best she can and turns around so that she’s facing Laura, now- still blocking Laura from the water’s spray, but giving Laura access to the warmer parts of Danny’s body that had just been under the barrage of warm water.

“Better?” Danny asks, leaning down and kissing Laura, who buries herself into Danny as soon as the kiss ends

Laura’s reply is muffled by Danny’s body, but Danny doesn’t bother asking her to repeat herself. 

“I am just going to take that as a yes.” Danny says before she picks up a bottle of shampoo from the side of the shower. “Hey, Laura, is this yours?” Danny asks, holding the bottle up to show Laura.

Laura pulls away just enough so she can see what Danny’s holding and then grins almost wildly.

“No, that’s Carmilla’s fancy super expensive shampoo that I’m never supposed to touch!” Laura says as she puts on a version of what Danny assumes is supposed to be a snobby voice. “But hey, you’re not me so you should just use all of it or something.” Laura finishes.

“I don’t know about using all of it, but hey, if you’re cool with it, I can totally use it.” Danny says as she looks down at Laura, who is nodding emphatically.

“Do it, do it, do it!” Laura chants softly as Danny pops open the cap and squirts some of the shampoo into her hand. 

It actually smells really nice, and Danny wonders if she should feel bad for using something that isn’t even Laura's to offer her. But then she remembers some of the stories Laura has told her about Carmilla and her complete lack of respect for Laura's space- not to mention the giraffe comment the last time she was in Laura's dorm, and Danny suddenly doesn’t care about the moral implications of using Carmilla’s shampoo.

After them actually getting clean, and Laura convincing Danny that she absolutely needed to use Carmilla’s conditioner as well as her shampoo, they finally get out of the shower; the hot water having dissipated right before they exited.

They have wrapped towels around themselves as Danny goes searching for her clothes, and Laura goes to her wardrobe to pick out her pajamas. Danny manages to find all her her clothes and gets dressed while Laura complains about being cold the entire time, which just leads Danny to tackling Laura onto the bed, wrapping herself around Laura, stating that now Laura can’t complain about being cold.

“We should get up.” Laura says after they’ve been lying on Laura’s bed for so long Danny’s hair has finally dried.

“Or, we could just stay in bed and cuddle for a while.” Danny offers, but Laura’s not buying it.

“No, Danny, we have to figure out this whole disappearance thing!” Laura argues, her tone set, holding just the tiniest bit of panic at the edges.

“Okay, okay, we can get up and look over the pictures- but I’m not putting on pants.” Danny states firmly.

“Well i like you in that shirt and just your boxers, anyway. So I’m not going to complain.” Laura says before kissing Danny. After the second kiss, Laura finally pulls herself away, rolling off of the bed. Danny takes a bit longer, not actually wanting to get up, so Laura leans over the bed and tugs her up and over to the computer.

It takes about 20 minutes before Laura is passed out at her desk. Before she fell asleep, though she was adamant that Danny had to stay the night, and Danny agreed.

Though, this time alone while Laura sleeps has just given Danny far too much time to think. On one hand, Danny really likes Laura. On the other, the sex was  _ really _ bad. Danny knows sex shouldn’t be a deciding factor, but she also knows that it’s still a very important thing for her. 

Danny’s still not really sure what she’s going to do about that whole matter when she starts to notice a pattern in the pictures. Only when she’s certain of what she’s found does she remove Laura’s shirt from over the top of the webcam and set it upright. Danny knows Laura would want to document this find for her viewers. Now all Danny has to do is wake Laura up.


	7. Where There's Smoke...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after, in all it's awkwardness and glory

Laura has been muttering things on and off in her sleep for the past 10 minutes. Danny knows this is true because she has been awake that long- or at least it _feels_ like it's been that long. She woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, so she's been lying on Laura's way too small twin bed staring up at the ceiling trying to calm her frantic thoughts.

It wasn't all bad at first, really. At first, she got to wake up and realize Laura was wrapped around her, holding on tight. That was nice.

Unfortunately, being unable to sleep has left Danny with a small dilemma that seems to be growing with every passing second.

Danny wants to get up. Also, she has to pee really badly, but that's not even _why_ she wants to get up. No, she wants to get up so she can leave and try to figure out just how she wants to play things with Laura from here on out.

The sex last night was bad. Really bad. Not the worst sex Danny has ever had, but close—definitely the worst _sober_ sex Danny has ever had.

Laura shifts in her sleep, her leg wrapping around both of Danny's as she curls into Danny's side further.

Danny has been contemplating the pros and cons of waking Laura.

Pro: Laura is awake.

Con: Laura is more than likely going to bring up last night.

Pro: She could kiss Laura again.

Con: Seriously, Laura could bring up the sex last night.

Pro: She can actually get up and pee.

Con: She will have to find some sort of excuse to leave.

Danny's mental rundown of her pro/con list is cut short as Laura stirs again, only this time is different because Laura is actually conscious.

"Mm, morning." Laura hums, her voice sleep soaked.

"Morning, sleepyhead." Danny replies, smiling down at her.

"How-" Laura is cut off by a yawn before she continues. "How long have you been up?"

"Not too long." Danny lies because really, telling Laura that she has been sitting here debating the merits of leaving without a word isn't exactly an option.

Besides, being faced with a conscious Laura only has Danny more confused. Especially now that Laura is leaning up to kiss her.

"Well, how about I give you something for your troubles?" Laura says before closing the distance between them with a kiss.

Kissing first thing in the morning isn't exactly high up on Danny's list of favorite things. Generally, she wouldn't be around to kiss the person she slept with the night before, anyway but it seems Laura Hollis is proving herself to be the exception to almost all of Danny's rules.

The kiss doesn't last too long, but it's enjoyable all the same.

"That really helped." Danny hums against Laura's lips.

"Glad to hear it." Laura replies before settling back down, her head on Danny's chest.

Danny's hand starts carding through Laura's hair on instinct, but the happy little noises coming from Laura only drive Danny to keep up the motions once she is aware of what she is doing. This is dangerous territory, but Danny doesn't want to leave just yet.

Except she does.

She can't figure out what she wants. She can't figure out what to do about this whole mess. Is it even really a mess? It sure feels like it is from where Danny is sitting- erm, lying.

Danny's hand stops moving, and she's only aware of that fact by the small protesting noises coming from Laura.

"Why'd you stop?" Laura asks, and Danny can practically hear the pout in her voice.

Danny doesn't reply immediately, which causes Laura to sit up a bit and face her.

"Hey," Laura starts, her voice soft, concerned. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I just- I have to go. I have to change into some new clothes, and if I don't show my face at the Summer house soon, they might start a manhunt." Danny supplies in answer, her words sounding like a lame excuse, even to her own ears.

Laura looks disappointed briefly before she nods in agreement and puts on a smile that they both know is forced.

"Oh yeah! Right, right, that makes sense." Laura sounds like she's trying to convince herself more than anything else. "But you'll be back for a research session tonight, right?" Laura adds, hopeful.

"Yeah, of course. Wouldn't miss it for the world." Danny says, trying to convince herself that it's true.

It's not that Danny doesn't want to spend time with Laura anymore, she just needs some breathing room. Some space to figure out if she wants to pursue this thing with Laura, because there are some factors to be considered that she hadn't accounted for.

Danny feels awful for it, though. She knows this shouldn't fall apart over some bad sex, but she can't help how she feels.

Besides, it's not just about sex. Everything with Laura has felt so right up to this point. Effortless, even. And yet, being intimate with her was just so bad, awkward, and, if Danny is honest, uncomfortable.

They lie there for a few seconds, Danny not having mustered up the courage to actually move from her surprisingly comfortable spot on the bed. Though she is fully aware the only reason this lumpy twin bed is comfortable is because it is forcing her and Laura into very close contact.

Danny is weak. Faced with Laura's disappointment, she knows for a fact she is absolutely weak because of the words currently coming out of her mouth.

"I mean, I guess I don't have to go just _yet_. I'm sure no one is even awake right now, considering it's, what-" Danny pauses as she scans around for her pants, realizing they are far enough away to force her to get up if she actually wants to retrieve her phone and check the time like she was planning. She sighs before finishing her thought. "Whatever early-ass time it actually is."

Laura scrunches up her face in confusion and Danny can't help but supply her with an answer to the question she hasn't technically posed.

"I was going to check the actual time, but my pants are all the way over there." Danny says, extending her arm to point at her pants on the other side of the room, next to Carmilla's bed. "And there is no way I am leaving this spot just yet."

Laura smiles at her and then leans up for a kiss. "That's really sweet, Danny." Laura's next words crash into Danny's mouth, and she can't believe she didn't expect them. "But I really have to pee, so I kind of have to ruin the moment."

And then Laura is up, and Danny is grabbing for her to pull her back down.

"Hey, hey! No way that's fair, Hollis!" Danny says as Laura slips out from her grasp, scooting down the bed and heading straight for the bathroom.

Laura slams the door shut and only after a few seconds does she pop her head back into the room to reply, "All's fair in love and war, Lawrence!"

"This is _war!"_ Danny yells as she chucks a pillow at Laura's head.

Laura is too quick, though and ducks back into the bathroom as the pillow collides with the door instead of its intended target. Danny can hear Laura laughing in the other room.

"You better be peeing while you're laughing in there, Chuckles!" Danny yells in reply, but finds herself laughing as well, ruining what she had hoped was an intimidating tone.

"Hurry up!" Danny yells again after a few minutes pass and she walks over to the door, banging on it with her fist.

"I'm almost done!" Laura calls back, but her speech is heavily distorted.

Suddenly, it all clicks.

"Are you brushing your teeth?!" It's more a statement than a question because now Danny is slightly annoyed.

"No!" Laura yells back in reply, but with the distinct sound of someone talking with a toothbrush in their mouth.

"You totally are! Hurry up, I need to pee!" Danny says just as Laura emerges from the bathroom.

"I'm done now, Danny. Geez, calm down." Laura says coolly.

Danny knows Laura is just baiting her. She knows it's all a game to get a rise out of her, but it's working.

"I was- and then _you_ \- ugh!" Danny grumbles incoherently.

"But minty fresh kisses?" Laura offers in an attempt to placate Danny.

It almost works.

"Minty fresh kisses of betrayal, maybe!" Danny says, making a mockery of the whole situation.

"Oh go pee, you weirdo." Laura says as she lightly swats at Danny's arm.

Danny quickly makes to grab for her clothes, moving over to Carmilla's side of the room and grabbing her tank top from Carmilla's bed, and her pants from the floor, before she walks past Laura and heads into the bathroom, only to have Laura call after her before she has even closed the door.

"I have an extra toothbrush stashed in the medicine cabinet!"

At first Danny wonders why Laura would have extras stashed away until she remembers the sticky note conversation from the first time she was in Laura's bathroom and _of course_ she has extras stashed away.

Danny makes quick work of using the bathroom, dressing, and brushing her teeth. She hears Laura say something from the other room but can't quite make it out.

"What was that?" Danny asks as she enters the bedroom once again, only to stop in her tracks once she sees who is standing in front of her. "Oh."

Carmilla looks her up and down with a scowl on her face and Danny can practically see the moment when all the information clicks into place in her head.

Danny straightens up and looks from Carmilla to Laura. The second her eyes land on Laura, Danny knows she's grinning like an idiot. And she knows as soon as she looks back at Carmilla that her expression changes into a look of smug satisfaction that even the blind could see.

"Well, I guess I should be heading out."

"Yeah, pretty sure your pack of wild dogs will be looking for you." Carmilla sneers.

Danny doesn't respond to the snark. Instead, she passes by Laura, squeezing her arm as she does.

"I'll see you tonight for our research session." Danny says, looking Laura in the eyes and meaning it more after their small bubble of so much _good_. Especially with Carmilla looking on.

"Okay, byeeeee!" Carmilla drawls out, the last word going an octave higher as she tries to usher Danny out of the room.

"Or I could stay?" Danny says a bit lower in order to pretend she doesn't want Carmilla to hear her. In all honesty, she is kind of hoping Carmilla says something.

True to form, Carmilla does just that.

"Don't even think about it, Jolly Green." Carmilla bites back, despite Danny not having addressed her.

Danny wants to turn around and reply with something as equally snarky, but refrains because Laura is shaking her head no.

"No, it's okay. You should get back. I'll see you later, after all."

Danny nods in agreement. As much as she wants to leave with some smart remark at her departure, she knows the best thing she can do is just leave as happy as she is that she got to spend the night and part of the morning with Laura.

"Alright. See you later, Hollis." Danny says before she heads out of room 307.

She heads down the hallway and starts for the stairs. As she reaches the first landing, her phone buzzes in her pocket.

She pulls her phone out and scans her lock screen. It's a text from Laura (because of course it is).

Received (9:35)  
Laura: I'm sorry about that. She's usually not even back by now.

Sent (9:35)  
Danny: It's okay, really.

Received (9:36)  
Laura: I really enjoyed last night. And just being around you in general.

Sent (9:36)  
Danny: Yeah me too.

Received (9:36)  
Laura: Okay she is literally throwing her bed sheets around complaining about the smell???

Received (9:36)  
Laura: Maybe if you ever washed your sheets we wouldn't have this problem. thEY'RE NOT EVEN HER SHEETS!!!

Received (9:36)  
Laura: Sorry she just gets under my skin.

Sent (9:37)  
Danny: It's okay. I live in a sorority house, so I get it.

Danny finally pockets her phone again and continues her trek back to the Summer Society house. She feels her phone buzz in her pocket but doesn't stop to check it, knowing she can just do it when she gets back into the safety of the house.

Thankfully, the Summer Society house is in view, and she doesn’t have any unwelcome encounters as she strides up the steps and then opens the front door. Danny had actually expected it to be locked when she turned the knob, but finds it gives under minimal force with ease. Of course, that's when she remembers the time, and that some of the Summers like to go jogging earlier in the morning than Danny was conscious today. While she might not have been able to go back to sleep once she woke up, the Gods were merciful enough to grant her sleeping through daybreak.

It’s a small comfort to know that some of their routines have stayed the same. The disappearance of Elsie has changed the way they operate, though, which Danny knows was absolutely unavoidable. Besides, she’s not exactly against the extra precautions.

“Kids, I’m home.” Danny mutters to herself as she leans back into the door, closing it easily.

Just as the door clicks closed, Danny hears someone bounding down the stairs and closes her eyes, just trying to take in the moment. There are still girls here, they are okay, and Danny hasn’t failed all of them, even if she sometimes feels like she has.

“Lawrence!” Mel yells from the stairs.

Danny’s eyes shoot open as her name is called. Mel is still here and on Danny’s side without a second thought. Yes, there are at least some things that haven’t changed.

Danny watches Mel’s face light up and feels a warmth in her chest bubble up—at least she still has her family here, even if it’s fractured for now. But she is determined to get Elsie back with Laura’s help, so maybe she can fix it all soon enough.

“There you are! Where have you…” Mel trails off as she moves down the stairs, taking them two at a time before stopping at the landing in front of Danny. Her face drops with her voice, and Danny doesn’t exactly understand the drastic change “-been?” Mel finally finishes, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I stayed the night at Laura’s. We were, um, researching.” Danny finishes her statement, and it sounds awkward and clunky to her own ears. There is no way Mel is going to buy her excuse.

“Oh, and you didn’t think to call anyone? I mean, it’s not like one of our sisters went missing recently—oh wait!” Mel says, her voice going harsher as she finishes her sentence.

“It’s not even 10:00 AM, Mel. Calm down.” Danny bites back because really, she is not in the mood for this. All she wants is to go up to her room, take a nice long, hot shower, and get some sleep in a bed she actually fits in.

“No, you know what? You _constantly_ go on and on about how we need to be safer around here and then you go off… _gallivanting_ with some _freshman_ without so much as a word to any of us back here.” Mel fires back, her tone harsher on a few words, spitting them out like curses.

“Her name is _Laura,_ and since _when_ do you care so much about Elsie?!” Danny can feel her volume getting higher as her defenses raise because Mel has absolutely no right to be giving her the third degree right now.

“I hope the sex was worth it, Lawrence.” Mel spits out Danny’s name as if it’s an insult in itself, and Danny is livid

“Fuck. You.” Danny growls out, getting into Mel’s face at the insult before pushing past her without another word, heading up the stairs to her bedroom.

Danny slams her door shut, not caring right now that it might disturb the other girls on her floor. She paces around her room, muttering to herself about how out of line Mel just was because Danny _really_ did not need that first thing in the morning.

“She can’t just- god damn it, what right does she even have?! None! Fucking none! Ugh!” Danny runs her hands through her hair, tugging at the roots to try and settle herself in some capacity. The slight pain helps her focus enough to start to take deep breaths long enough to calm down.

That’s when she remembers the texts from Laura (or whom she assumes was Laura) that she never checked. She pulls her phone out of her pocket and unlocks it, scanning her messages.

Received (9:40)  
Laura: Is it too late to ask you to come back??

Received (9:40)  
Laura: Or would it be too early? Whichever. I can’t stand being here with her alone.

Sent (10:02)  
Danny: Sorry for the delay—was walking back to the house. Maybe go out and study or something? I mean you could always come here if you really wanted.

Received (10:02)  
Laura: She’s passed out now. I’m good. Besides I think giving the rest of the Summers a break from me would be best.

Danny’s fingers hover over her phone as she considers what she wants to say next. What she’s thinking is that she doesn’t care if the Summers need a break from Laura, because _she_ certainly doesn’t. Which is actually a jarring thought, given her earlier ones where she was contemplating the merits of the whole thing. But bad sex can be worked on, and who’s to say it wasn’t just a fluke due to nerves? Danny is certainly willing to give Laura the benefit of the doubt, at least.

Sent (10:03)  
Danny: Well if you change your mind, my door’s open.

Received (10:03)  
Laura: I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks. :)

At that, Danny kicks off her shoes and starts undressing, leaving a trail of clothes towards her bathroom, phone still in hand. She closes the door and places her phone on the countertop of the sink, pulling up her music player and hitting the play button on the music already loaded there, the last thing she was listening to. Taylor Swift’s voice bounces off the walls of the bathroom as Danny moves towards the shower, turning the water on to the highest heat setting.

She stands there naked as she waits for the water to heat up, swaying her hips to the song as she sings along, not caring that she is woefully off key.

“I stay out too late. Got nothin’ in my brain, at least that’s what people say.”

She stretches her arm out so that her hand hits under the shower spray, checking the temperature of the water. Finally it’s heated to perfection, and Danny steps in, pulling the shower curtain closed behind her. The water washes over her and Danny sips her head under. She’s thankful that at least here, the shower is positioned to fit her comfortably underneath it.

Standing underneath the water feels good as she runs her hands through her hair, pushing it back out of her face before turning around, exposing her back to the spray. The water collides with her skin at a harsh and exceedingly wonderful pressure. Though Danny can’t help but wish Laura was here with her, even if she only just left Laura’s dorm.

They were having such a good time that Danny just let everything else fall away. In fact, that sort of seems to happen every time she is around Laura. Everything seems to boil down to the two of them, and Danny can finally get out of her head and stop overthinking things. It’s not a constant thing, obviously, given how this morning went. Laura’s mere presence doesn’t exactly do it. They have to actually be interacting—but Danny knows she was folding a bit as she just looked at Laura sleeping atop her, so who’s to say it isn’t triggered solely by Laura’s proximity?

Danny finishes her shower—taking longer than necessary because it just feels nice to be under the hot water. But soon the heat is dwindling and she’s already clean, so she can’t exactly justify stealing all of the hot water in the house.

She turns the water off and opens the shower curtain, getting the towel hanging off the rack and wrapping it around her body before she steps out and stands in front of the sink. Danny looks herself over before turning her attention to her phone and turning the music off. She then dries herself off as much as she can and walks out into her bedroom, the towel wrapped around her once again, even though technically it’s not exactly needed.

Danny drops her phone on her bed unceremoniously, knowing she’ll have to charge it soon but also knowing it’s not exactly an urgent matter, currently. She then walks over to her closet and picks out her outfit for the day, throwing her green jeans on the bed along with a simple black t-shirt; suitable enough for a low-key day, she assumes. However, Danny isn’t actually going to be wearing that outfit just yet

Danny sets aside her outfit and then pulls a t-shirt and sweatpants out, putting them on quickly before she collapses on the bed face-first, groping blindly for her phone and finding it after a couple of tries. She lifts her head enough to look at the screen and takes note of the fact that she has no messages and that her battery is dangerously low. Grunting as she moves, Danny leans over her bed and grabs her phone’s charger, plugging it in.

Finally, she can try to get a little more rest.

Danny sleeps for about two hours before her body decides it has had enough, and she needs to be wide awake right this second. She lies there- now on her back after having shifted in her sleep- unable to find the motivation to actually get up. Of course, as her eyes wander around her room, they land on the pile of papers she has to grade that she has been skillfully neglecting up until now in order to spend as much time as she has researching with Laura. In fact, she’s let things slide so much that she’s actually now on par with the rest of her classmates. Meaning Danny Lawrence is no longer ahead. Meaning she really _should_ get up and grade those papers- and possibly write her own few that have been screaming for attention the past few days.

“That’s it. I’m dropping out.” Danny grumbles to herself as she throws the textbook she has been working out of away from her.

She got all of the papers graded that needed to be easily enough. Once she gets into the groove of it, it usually goes quick. The issue lately is just forcing herself away from a research session with Laura. Thankfully, she doesn’t have to give up her time with Laura today in order to get her work done.

However her homework is proving a bit more difficult than she expected. Rather it’s just more tedious than she first anticipated. She knows what she’s doing and what has to be done, she just doesn’t want to go about actually _doing_ it.

Just as Danny picks her textbook up again, resolved that the glare she has been giving it will unfortunately _not_ in fact cause it to spontaneously combust, there is a knock at her door.

“Yes?” Danny calls out, her attention more focused on the book in her hand than on who is at her door.

“Uh, hey, can I come in?” Mel’s voice enters the room, tearing Danny away from her textbook.

“Sure.” Danny answers, not really as certain about her answer as the word implies.

“Listen, I’m really sorry for going off on you this morning.” Mel says as she enters the room, closing the door behind her.

Mel’s eyes flick down to the book in Danny’s hand, and the papers strewn about Danny’s bed.

“If this is a bad time, I can come back later.” Mel says as she points her thumb over her shoulder back towards the door of Danny’s bedroom.

“No, it’s okay.” Danny says, trying to give Mel a smile, though she knows it’s a weak one at best.

Truth is, she wanted Mel to apologize, and she has some apologies of her own to offer up. But sometimes with Mel, Danny’s best course of action is to just wait it out until she makes the first move—like right now.

“I know I shouldn’t have said what I did. It was uncalled for. I was just really worried about you.” Mel says, her voice lowering as she walks over to Danny’s bed and sits down, her eyes downcast.

“I know tensions have been running high around here, lately with Elsie’s disappearance, and I understand that you were worried. I forgive you, and honestly, I’m sorry, too. I kind of took it to a level it probably shouldn’t have gone…” Danny says as she trails off, looking down at the textbook still in her hands before she places it down next to the side of her Mel isn’t sitting up against.

“No, you were just reacting to me being an ass; I understand. It was all me, really” Mel offers up, resting her hand on Danny’s knee.

Danny shifts, her legs having cramped up a bit from sitting in one position for far too long. In the process, she dislodges Mel’s hand from her knee. In fact, Danny is considering just getting up from the bed altogether in order to stretch out her legs, but it seems a bit awkward given that Mel only just sat down.

“Hey, um, do you think we could talk? I mean, before things go too far with this Laura girl I was just thinking maybe we could talk?” Mel ventures, breaking the recent silence that had fallen over them.

Danny’s brow furrows in confusion because she honestly has no idea what Mel might need to talk about, but it sounds pretty serious, especially since Mel is asking flat out if they can talk. Danny’s trying to control her anxiety, but her mind is going into overdrive worrying about what Mel might have to say, and going straight to worst case scenario.

“Yeah, sure, of course.” Danny says, hoping Mel will get to the point quickly so her fears can be quelled.

“Okay, well... um, the thing is—“ Mel is cut off as a bell starts going off farther into the house.

A few seconds later, Beth’s leaning into Danny’s room with an announcement.

“Emergency meeting, guys. Everyone needs to head down to the living room, now. Claire’s really on edge.” Beth finishes before leaving, the door hanging ajar after her.

Danny looks at Mel, then.

“We’ll finish this after the meeting. Promise.”

“Okay.” Mel responds before they head down to the meeting.

It’s really not much of a meeting. More of a debriefing on their parts in what has seemingly become a turf war with the Zetas. The idiot bro-for-brains apparently caused a scene when they refused to leave the girls swim team alone as they were walking home from the gym. That was when the Summers were called in to help, but things dissolved from there as tensions always run high between the two factions, and someone was shoved. Danny would put money on it being an Zeta that shoved a Summer.

Danny was given her position to take and that was it, really. Beth was the one who started painting her up in war paint as Claire gave Danny her orders. After her debriefing, Danny quickly runs up to her room and gets dressed, thankful she had already laid out her clothes.

She’s jumping up and down, making a slow pace as she tries to put her other shoe on while standing up, after getting it on she runs down the stairs, taking them two at a time before she stops to actually tie them once out of the house.

Then she’s headed towards the gym when she sees a security cart on fire, and then Danny forgets her orders and forgets everything else aside from Laura. She needs to make sure Laura is safe. She needs to know Laura is okay.

Before she even realizes it, she’s running full-out, trying to get to Crowley Hall as fast as her legs will carry her. She knows she should be with her sisters fighting the good fight, but this war could have spread all the way to Crowley Hall, and Laura being in any sort of danger is not something Danny is willing to leave to chance.

Finally, after what feels like ages, Crowley Hall is in sight. A slight wave of relief washes over her, but not for long because she still has no idea how Laura is, and whether or not the collection of imbeciles known at Zeta Omega Mu have tried to claim Laura’s building for their own territory. If they have, Danny knows she will personally take care of them without a second thought. Granted, these turf wars are mainly paintballs (from the Summers, thank you very much) and anchovies (Danny will never understand the Zetas obsession with fish- Poseidon or no) but someone could actually go after Laura, and that scenario is entirely unacceptable on all accounts.

Danny wastes no time running into Crowley Hall and bounding up the stairs, heading straight for room 307. Her phone vibrates in her pocket and Danny only briefly takes the time to check her lock screen. It’s a text from Mel.

Received (19:35)  
Mel: Hey where are you??? I really need to talk to you.

Danny doesn’t bother to answer the text before swiping the notification away as she pockets her phone and runs towards Laura’s room, not bothering to knock before barging in.

“Are you okay? Have they tried to get in?”


	8. ...There's Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny deals with the turf war, has a pie date with Laura, and they finally get some quality alone time 
> 
> AKA they have sex again

“STOP!” Danny yells at the top of her lungs, managing to carry her voice over the thrum of the Zetas and Summers who have congregated outside the gym lit by the glow of the security cart still ablaze.

Before Danny can give herself any time to think about it, she marches into the throng of people, stretching her arms out between the Zetas and Summers. Honestly, she just wants this to be done with now so she can go back to doing literally ancything else. Anything is better than dealing with Zeta Neanderthals.

A silence falls over everyone, and Danny figures at first that it is just shock, but she’ll take it if it means getting her and her sisters out of here faster.

“This is pointless! We’re just making a mess of the campus and you guys-” She points to the Zetas nearest to her, “-Are only terrorizing girls, no matter your intentions!” Danny offers up, trying to cut off any argument they might want to come up with in order to defend their actions.

“Yeah, so why don’t you-” Mel starts in, but Danny’s having none of it. She does not need Mel’s hotheadedness to prolong this ordeal.

“I don’t need your help right now, Mel.” Danny says as she holds up a hand, trying to silence Mel and get them all to be sensible, if at all possible.

“We were just doing our duty as the gentlemanly brothers of Zeta Omega Mu! We are honor bound to protect any coed 7.5 or higher!” One of the Zeta’s pipes up from a couple of feet back.

“Well, the girls called us to help them when  _ you _ wouldn’t leave them alone. And do you  _ really _ think setting fire to things is going to make anyone feel  _ safe _ ?!”

No argument from anyone, thankfully.

“… I guess not.” One of the Zetas ventures, and there is a general hum of agreement from the Zeta side.

“So what you need to do is get your frat daddy asses out of here! You. Are. Not. Wanted.” Mel chimes in, stepping closer to the nearest Zeta

“Hey!” Said Zeta yells out in indignation, stepping forward to meet Mel where she stands.

“Mel!” Danny cuts in, glaring at Mel as she situates herself between the two. She looks back at the Zeta. “What needs to happen is for everyone to calm down and go back to their respective houses, okay?”

“Why should we listen to you, Summer Psycho?” One of the Zetas outside of Danny’s line of sight spits out.

“Probably because I haven’t reported your idiocy to the Dean. Yet.” Danny bites out in reply, her next words leaving no room for argument. “Don’t tempt me further.”

“We don’t need to take this from you, but since the hotties are gone, so are we.” One of the Zetas speaks up, stepping forward and waving his hand at his brothers to follow. “See you later, Summer Psychos!” He yells out as he turns and leads the rest of the Zetas back to their house.

Danny stands there, watching them walk away.

“We could have taken them!” Mel argues.

Danny looks over at her and marches toward her. “The point, Mel, was that we shouldn’t have had to. This was supposed to be about supporting the other female students and getting them back to their dorms safely. I didn’t need you jumping in and making everything worse!”

“What would you even know about how things were going? You weren’t even here for most of it! You didn’t hear how they were talking! You were too busy doing god knows what because you sure as hell abandoned your post.” Mel bites back in response, standing her ground.

“I was-” Danny goes to defend herself but gets cut off as Mel shoulder checks her while she moves past her

“Whatever, Lawrence. I’m heading back. Do whatever you want.” Mel calls over her shoulder, not bothering to look back.

Danny stands there for a few seconds, watching Mel leave as her anger boils over. A few more of the Summers decide to head in the direction of the house, but the majority are still at her back.

“Can someone _ please _ put out that goddamn security cart?!” Danny yells at no one in particular.

She hears footsteps rushing behind her, and then the unmistakable sound of a fire extinguisher being used. This was not at all how she saw this night going; she was supposed to be having a research night with Laura. Instead, she got wrangled into a turf war and somewhere in the fray, she found the time to text Laura her disappointment at not being able to see her due to the emergency meeting- the overuse of sad face emoticons on Laura’s part only fueled Danny’s anger at the Zetas further. They took away some of her time with Laura, and it’s not as if Danny gets much of it to begin with.

 

* * *

 

 

"And here we are!" Danny cheerfully concludes as they enter the cafeteria.

Laura looks up at her, smiling before dropping her gaze back to Danny's side and the messenger bag secured there.

Danny sees Laura's expression change and decides to beat her to the punch.

"Don't even think about asking, Hollis. I already told you, it's a surprise, and I know you know what a surprise is."

Laura rolls her eyes as she replies, "Well, we both know I know that because you decided to give me the dictionary definition the third time I asked what you have there."

Danny laughs off Laura's pout and she can tell Laura is struggling to keep it in place.

"Come on, let's go." Danny says, taking their linked hands and motioning towards the empty tables in front of them.

"I'll get the pie-" Laura starts to offer, trying to pull away, but Danny holds her back.

"Oh no you don't. I'll get it. You just sit down and relax." Danny argues.

Thankfully, Laura doesn't fight her and they start for the table farthest away from the other students. They drop hands as Laura goes to pull out her own chair, but Danny gets there first.

"After you." Danny says as Laura looks back at her, surprised by the treatment. "I'll be right back." Danny says against Laura's ear after Laura sits down and Danny pushes her chair in for her.

It doesn't take long for Danny to get the slices of pie for them both. She does, however, take care to make sure the one she designates as Laura's slice is the bigger of the two, considering Laura's sweet tooth. 

If Danny is honest, she isn't as interested in the pie. The lure for her is in fact some quality time with Laura away from the stresses of trying to figure out what has happened to the missing girls.

"Here you go." Danny says, setting Laura's plate down in front of her before she walks herself and her slice of pie to the other side of the table.

"Why, thank you kindly." Laura says with a giggle.

Danny thinks she could stand to hear the sound of Laura's laugh until the end of days, but thoughts like that are dangerous. Never mind that they have been popping into Danny's head more often the more time she spends alone with Laura.

However, Danny knows that she will charge headfirst into any danger that involves Laura Hollis. Especially if it involves her smiling at Danny like the way she is right now.

"This isn't even the best part." Danny teases as she sits down, setting her bag down beside her.

"Oh?" Laura asks, her mouth full of a bite of pie, though she does look sheepishly at Danny and then down at her plate as if she has somehow soured their good mood.

"No, but you can keep eating. It wasn't about the pie." Danny attempts to reassure her with a small nod accompanying her words.

Laura nods back and swallows her bite of pie before picking at it as if waiting for Danny to either take a bite herself, or explain herself further.

"Oh! Is it time for the surprise?" Laura asks, straightening up and bouncing a bit in her seat.

Danny can't help but feel her stomach drop a bit in guilt. This surprise of hers wasn't even that big of a deal, really. She was just determined to keep it a surprise. But Laura could have taken the secrecy and built the small gesture into something larger.

Danny doesn't want to disappoint.

"It is." She says before leaning over her bag and rummaging through it to produce two plastic cups, which she sets down on the table. "It's really not that big of a deal, though." Danny tries to set Laura's expectations at the right level.

"Danny..." Laura starts, and Danny can hear the hesitation in her voice.

Danny straightens up with the bottle in hand and spins it so that the label detailing that the drink is sparkling cider is clearly visible.

"They don't allow alcohol in here, but I don't think that would go well with pie, anyway." Danny whispers, ending her statement with a wink as she leans over the table and closer to Laura before pouring them both a glass of cider.

"Do you pull out all the stops for all the girls, Danny Lawrence?" Laura asks with a grin on her face as she tugs on Danny's bow tie.

"No, just you." Danny says, her voice deeper and absolutely bursting with affection.

Danny starts playing with Laura's hand that is on her bow tie, and she takes a bite of her pie with her free hand.

"You sure know how to make a girl feel special. I should lose my virginity to you more often"

Danny is choking at Laura’s admission. Choking on her pie. Her pie that she got because she is on their standing Wednesday night pie date. Her pie date with Laura Hollis- who has just admitted to being a virgin before… before Danny got to her, apparently.

On one hand, that makes a whole lot of sense. On the other, Danny is still choking.

"Your what?!" Danny manages to cough out the words and then grabs her drink, chugging it down.

She starts drinking the cider to clear her windpipe, but keeps drinking, wishing that she  _ had _ brought alcohol in with her. Because this moment right here clearly called for it.

"I um...I didn't actually mean to say that?" Laura's voice lilts up at the end, but Danny's certain it's not actually supposed to be a question.

"But is it true?" Danny asks, trying in vain to hide her growing horror at the prospect.

Danny has rules. One of those rules is no virgins. The reasons for that are because taking someone's virginity is usually a big responsibility, virgins tend to get clingy, your first time is something you never forget, and finally, the sex is always...bad.

Danny feels like an idiot because _ of course _ Laura was a virgin! Danny's next thought crashes into her; she took Laura's virginity in what was essentially a quickie on Laura's lumpy dorm mattress. And that is entirely  _ unacceptable _ .

"Yeah." Laura says with a nod, blushing deeply and this time, Danny is not proud of the effect she is currently having on her. "Listen, we can just forget it, okay? I mean, it's not-" Laura tries to continue, but Danny cuts her off.

"We're going to do it right next time." Danny says before she can  really consider her words.

"W-what ?" Laura stumbles over that one word.

"I mean, if you want. I didn't know, and-" This time, Laura is the one who cuts in.

"You couldn't have known, Danny; I didn't tell you."

Danny has enough sense left to her to not mention that she  _ should _ have known, given how the night went. But Laura is under the impression that it went well, and Danny is not about to take that  away from her.

"But, if you want to sleep together again, I mean… I want to make this time better for you." Danny offers in explanation .

There is a silence that falls over them that feels like it spans the length of eternity. In actuality, it is just a few seconds, but Danny doesn't currently care about accuracy. Laura is just staring at her, lips slightly parted, her eyes scanning over Danny's face, and Danny can't help but fidget under the scrutiny.

"Laura?" Danny ventures.

Laura jumps at her name, and her answer is out of her mouth before Danny is even finished speaking.

"Yes!"

"Um..." Danny's not exactly sure what Laura is agreeing to, and can't bear to clarify just yet.

"I, um, I want to..." Laura trails off, looking over at the lingering students in the cafeteria before she continues, her voice hushed. "Sleep with you again. Of course I do!" Laura's voice gets louder at the end of her statement, and at that realization, she looks around and so does Danny.

No one is paying any attention to them, engrossed in their own conversations and far enough away from them that they probably didn't even hear Laura.

"Good, good." Danny says with a nod. "Now eat your pie, you goof."

Laura smiles at Danny warmly and then continues devouring her pie, taking sips of her cider throughout. Soon they're both done, and they talk for a while about nothing in particular before Danny stands up and clears the table.

"Ready to go?" Danny asks upon her return.

"Yeah, sure." Laura says with a nod before getting up and walking over to Danny, taking her hand with an ease that sends a jolt through Danny every single time.

She hopes that doesn't fade; the wonder of their close proximity. Danny likes the fact that it actually affects her when Laura is near. Not only that, but the way their hands fit together is something Danny always thought was an exaggeration. People always went a bit overboard when talking about love, though.

Not that this is love. This is decidedly  _ not  _ love. No, this is affection, and a budding adoration, but nothing as serious as love. Danny Lawrence does not fall in love, and certainly wouldn't do as much so obscenely early on.

They make their way back to the Summer Society house without incident. Once in the door, though Danny has to usher Laura upstairs to get away from the oohing and awing of her Sisters.

"I'm sorry about them." Danny says as she closes her bedroom door behind her.

Laura is further into the room and smiles back at Danny, shaking her head as she replies.

"I don't mind." Laura says simply.

"At least one of us doesn't." Danny grumbles out, pushing herself off of her door.

"You're thinking too much." Laura says.

That takes Danny by surprise, because she didn't think Laura would notice.

"You furrow your eyebrows." Laura offers up in explanation before making her way towards Danny.

Before she realizes it, Danny is bending down to meet Laura where she stands, Laura's hand outstretched.

"Right here." Laura whispers, and she rubs her thumb up and down the space between Danny's eyebrows as if trying to smooth away Danny's racing thoughts.

"Oh yeah?" Danny whispers back.

Danny's not sure who closed the small gap between them, but they're kissing now and that is all that really matters. Danny's messenger bag falls to the floor next to her with a dull thud as she moves to pull Laura closer, her hands on Laura's hips. They pull apart for air, and Danny has the fleeting thought that any distance away from Laura will always be far too much.

They don't say anything before they're kissing again, and Danny is about to break away in order to ask Laura just what she wants to do, but then Laura's pulling back, and Danny has to do everything in her power not to follow her.

“Wh-” Danny doesn't even get a word out before Laura is tugging on her shirt, trying to lead her further into the room.

“Come on.” Laura says, her hand trailing down and grabbing Danny's.

Danny follows Laura where she leads- which is only a couple of feet towards Danny's bed.

“Wait a second.” Danny says before letting go of Laura's hand and walking back towards her computer desk, swiping her lighter off of it and lighting the few candles around her room before settling back at the desk.

She knows just how loud Laura can be, and while  _ she _ definitely appreciates it, she's certain that none of her Sisters will. Luckily, Danny Lawrence is always prepared and has a playlist for just this type of situation on her iPod, which is currently settled in its dock that also has speakers- loud ones.

Danny scrolls through the playlist until she finds the song she's looking for and lets it play.

“Danny...” Laura calls from behind her.

“Yeah?” Danny asks before turning around.

Danny was not expecting to see the sight currently before her, but she is glad to be graced with it none the less. Laura's shirt is on the floor beside Danny's bed, as well as her jeans. Laura Hollis is kneeling on Danny's bed in just her black bra and matching panties, and Danny wants nothing more than to rip them off with her  _ teeth _ .

“I think I'm overdressed.” Danny finally manages to say.

“Mm, very.” Laura hums, looking Danny up and down before crooking her finger in Danny's direction to beckon her forward wordlessly.

Danny kicks off her shoes and socks, hopping a bit to get her left sock off- so much for being suave. But Laura doesn't seem to mind as Danny looks back at her, letting the sock fall to the floor before she is moving towards the bed and then crawling up on it and over Laura.

“Hi.” Danny mutters out, her mouth inches from Laura's.

“Hi.” Laura says in reply, her hands moving over Danny's shoulders.

They're kissing again and Danny doesn't want it to stop, but then Laura is tugging at Danny's suspenders and she knows she has to lean up and take them off.

“Hold on.” Danny breathes out, pushing herself up and sitting on her knees.

“No, let me.” Laura says as she sits up with all of the height being on her knees can give her.

Danny nods as Laura starts sliding her suspenders down. They hang loosely at her waist, now while Laura pulls out Danny's previously tucked-in shirt. This time, Laura's hands aren't shaking, and she unbuttons her shirt without Danny needing to take over the task. Laura's fingers slide down Danny's torso once her shirt is completely unbuttoned.

“Cold hands.” Danny mutters at the contact.

“Well, then let's warm them up.” Laura suggests with a wicked grin.

Danny hooks a finger under Laura's chin and tilts her head up to kiss her. Kissing Laura Hollis has not lost its appeal, and Danny knows for a fact, now that it never will.

“You dork.” Danny breathes into Laura's mouth.

Laura doesn't respond with words, she just kisses Danny again and slides her hands around Danny's back, digging her nails in as she pulls Danny closer. 

For her part, Danny's hands have occupied themselves by tangling in Laura's hair- though she has enough sense about her to not tug.

Finally, they pull away enough to breathe, and Danny can't help but hate that biological need of theirs that ultimately drags them apart, even if their parting is so very short lived. However, Laura's hands are working over Danny's shoulders, sliding her shirt off, which only prolongs their separateness.

“Up.” Laura says as she tugs at the button of Danny's slacks.

Danny sits up on her knees but she knows that this position won't do them any good. She pries Laura's hands away easily enough as she gets up off of the bed, and Laura is crawling after her. 

Laura stops at the edge of the bed before getting up off of it, too and looking up at Danny with an expression Danny can't quite read. But Danny likes what she sees on Laura's face, even if she is unable to read her- whatever it is, Danny is along for the ride wherever Laura wants to lead.

Which is  _ new _ .

Danny is jolted out of her thoughts as Laura pulls down her pants and underwear, going down to the floor with the garments. Danny steps out of her clothes and Laura slides them away towards the parts of Danny's room the candles flames can't quite reach.

Laura Hollis is on her knees in front of her, and all Danny can really think is that she has no amount of control in this situation. It's all in Laura's hands, and for once, Danny doesn't mind that fact in the least.

“Oh, fuck.” Danny breathes out, just looking at Laura.

Laura licks her lips and then situates herself between Danny's legs before her mouth is on Danny and her breath catches in her throat. Laura's pace isn't steady this time, but she is a bit more pliable, given the current position. Danny hands are in Laura's hair again and this time, Danny has no sense about her. So she tugs. Hard.

Laura moans.

Danny's unraveling because Laura has finally found a rhythm that works; long steady strokes. No more of what Danny can only assume was the alphabet on her clit the last time around.

“More, more, more.” Danny's begging as Laura keeps up her pace.

Danny tugs on Laura's hair again, and Laura moans in response, which just feels fucking fantastic.

Before Danny can realize what is happening, she's riding that edge, and Laura pulls herself up further, burying her face between Danny's thighs as if she is starving and Danny is her only sustenance. And then Danny is falling, and she's holding on to Laura for all she's worth; and by god, is Laura Hollis worth  _ so much. _

“Bed.” Danny pants as Laura comes up for air, and before she knows it, she's stumbling over Laura to get to the bed.

“You okay?” Laura asks, following Danny up onto the bed.

“Y-yeah” Danny breathes out in reply. “Just give me a minute.”

“Okay.” Laura says, but stays where she is sitting next to Danny

Danny can't help but think the small distance between them should be a crime, so she does what she can to remedy the situation.

“Come here.” Danny says as she pulls Laura on top of her.

Laura follows easily, and soon they're kissing again as Danny's hands wander underneath the waistband of Laura's underwear, cupping Laura's ass appreciatively. Laura pulls back from the kiss, only to bite at Danny's lower lip before releasing her. Danny tries to slide Laura's panties down and off of her, but it's not exactly working in their current position. Laura sits up and takes them off, flinging them haphazardly across the room into darkness.

Laura settles on top of Danny again, only this time, she is straddling her. The position doesn't last long as Danny flips her over with Laura now on her back. Danny has the fleeting thought that she wants to eat the little yelp that falls from Laura's lips.

“Turnabout is only fair play.” Danny says above Laura.

“Then get to it.” Laura says, her hands tangled in Danny's hair as she tugs her down.

Danny moves down Laura's body slowly before making quick work of taking Laura's bra off and pausing to fling her own across the room as well. Soon, though, she's back to kissing her way down Laura's torso. Laura's hands are still tangled in Danny's hair and tugging at the roots.

Danny loves the way that feels.

Danny loves the way Laura feels underneath her, squirming in her impatience as she bucks her hips up slightly. Finally, Danny gets exactly where Laura wants her, but Danny is determined to take her time this time around because this is about Laura getting a better “first time” even though Danny can't go back and change things. She wants to make this better for Laura. Starting off in a queen sized bed, for one definitely helped matters. But now- now Danny wants to take her time practically worshiping every part of Laura.

Danny starts with broad strokes over Laura's clit, to which Laura moans and tries to push Danny's face in further. Danny takes the not so subtle hint and applies more pressure as she continues working Laura over. Only when Laura's grip on her hair grows even harder does Danny switch things up a bit, getting up on her elbows enough to get her fingers inside of Laura, brushing over her g-spot easily. Laura sucks in a breath before moaning loudly in response as Danny licks over her clit faster and in smaller circles this time.

It doesn't take much more than that for Laura to come screaming Danny's name, one of her hands still tangled in Danny's hair, pulling hard while the other is in the bed sheets next to Danny's head. But Danny is far from done yet—she pulls back enough to watch Laura start to come down, and when Laura finally opens her eyes, she's trying to pull Danny up her body towards her, and Danny can't help but follow. Soon, Danny is atop her, and Laura is kissing her with a force Danny didn't know could be contained within such a small body.

“More.” Laura bites out, and she's not begging, she's demanding.

Danny can't help but obey. It means finally giving Laura the pleasure she's deserved, but it also means she gets to hear Laura scream her name again, and that is something Danny has never doubted to be appealing. Danny slides her hand down Laura's torso and finally between Laura's thighs working over her clit a bit before dipping down lower and entering her, running over Laura's g-spot repeatedly until Laura's body clenches.

Laura's panting and lifting her hips to give Danny more access, but she hasn’t broken eye contact, yet and there is no way in hell Danny could ever tear her eyes away from Laura's in this moment.

“I'm going to come!” Laura pants, her voice growing louder at the end of her sentence before her eyes close and she is screaming Danny's name.

They're lying there, Danny curled around Laura's side before Laura is pushing at Danny's shoulder and Danny lifts up to look at her.

“What? What's wrong?” Danny asks.

“Nothing, I just want to try something; lay back.” Laura says in reply.

It's not as if Danny is really going to fight Laura on this, and her body puts up no resistance when Laura starts pushing her onto her back. Laura straddles Danny again, only to lean down and kiss her again, hard and with teeth this time, nipping and sucking on Danny's bottom lip. Danny's not sure things can get any better than what they are, currently.

And then Laura slides her hand down Danny's torso and over her clit, and Danny can't help but whimper at the contact.

“Fuck, please.” Danny whines.

Laura pulls back and moves down Danny's body to better position herself, and the few seconds that takes feel like an eternity to Danny. But then Laura is in position, and she rolls her eyes up to look at Danny, and there is nothing left to Danny the moment Laura's fingers slide inside of her. There is even less of Danny the moment Laura finds her g-spot and starts pressing it like it is a button.

“Oh god, right there! Please, please, please...” Danny's stumbling over her words, and she doesn't even care if Laura can understand her properly so long as Laura doesn't stop what she's doing.

And then Danny's coming, but Laura doesn't stop. Laura is fucking her through it, and before Danny registers what's happening, she's coming again and a third time. It's all more than she ever thought she could feel. It's so good, and it's Laura, and everything just comes boiling over the surface and Danny is crying. She's never cried during sex before. This isn't normal. But it's also not bad; not bad at all. She wanted this. She  _ wants _ this. She wants Laura.

Laura needs to be closer. Laura needs to stop and needs to be on top of her. Danny needs to kiss her and feel her body pressed to her. Somehow, even though Laura is inside of her, Danny feels like Laura is too far away. Too far away in some ways that she doesn't even know how to explain.

“Laura...” Danny knows her voice cracks over Laura's name.

She knows her voice sounds small and searching, but she can't help it, she can't stop what's happening, and she's not even sure she wants to stop it. No, she is sure—she doesn't want this to stop, she just wants it to change course.

Laura stops immediately at the sound of her name, and then she is right where Danny needs her: on top of her. And they're not kissing like Danny wants them to be because Laura is too preoccupied with the damn tears still running down the sides of Danny's face.

“Are you okay? I'm so sorry!” Laura is stumbling over her words, wiping away what tears she can.

“Kiss me.” is all Danny can manage to say, but Laura obliges her all the same.

They kiss; small kisses at first, but then they get longer, deeper- but still slow and considered because Laura is still touching Danny as if she'll break if too much pressure is applied. 

Danny doesn't want that. Danny doesn't want Laura to worry. So, Danny does the only thing she can think of at the moment and slides her hands down Laura's back, grabbing her ass firmly.

Laura seems to get the hint as she grinds her hips into Danny in response, but Danny is too tired for more and leaves it where it is, with Laura on top of her. Laura isn't moving to gain any more contact than that, though and Danny is grateful.

“Are you sure you're okay?” Laura asks as she pulls back from Danny.

Danny hands are still on Laura's ass as she replies, “I'm fine. I just got overwhelmed- but it was good! I promise.”

Laura's searching her face, and Danny wonders if she is trying to find doubt behind her eyes. But there isn't anything for Laura to find. Danny wanted all of it, and she enjoyed all of it, she's just tired now. Laura seems to come to the conclusion that she isn't lying, because she nods to herself and settles down on top of Danny, her face buried in the crook of her neck.

Laura's breath is warm on Danny's skin, and she doesn't want to move from this moment. Her hands, however, do; moving up from Laura's ass to trailing over Laura's back before Laura rolls off of her and on to her side.

They've been laying like that in a comfortable silence, and Danny's not sure when Laura picked up her hand and started playing with it, but she's not about to take her hand back. Danny can't help but think back to that drunken night with Laura when she laid claim to Danny's hands. Danny thinks now that Laura can have every part of her she wants.

“What are you smiling about?” Laura asks, a grin of her own now spreading over her face.

“You.” Is all Danny replies before leaning in and kissing Laura.

Laura squirms away from the kiss, only to roll over on the bed and sit up at the edge. She looks back at Danny over her shoulder before explaining.

“I'm thirsty.”

“Mm, can't go down to the kitchen like that.” Danny says as she looks Laura up and down.

“No, which is why I am looking for something to put on.” Laura says, turning her attention back to the floor where their discarded clothes are supposed to be.

Laura swipes something up from the floor and stands. Danny doesn't see what she has until Laura's pulling it on, buttoning it with a practiced ease.

“You look good in my shirt.” Danny says without thinking.

Laura blushes and looks down, smiling before looking back up at Danny. “You think so?”

Laura leans over the bed and into Danny as Danny replies against her lips. “Definitely.”

Then Laura's hands are pulling Danny's off of her as she tries to disentangle herself, much to Danny's disappointment.

“I need something under it.” Laura says.

“I don't think you do.” Danny replies quickly, which earns her a swat to the arm.

“To go downstairs I do.” Laura says, frowning at Danny, though the expression doesn't last long.

“I have some boxers in the top dresser drawer.” Danny offers, gesturing to her dresser a few feet away.

Laura walks over and picks out a pair, slipping them on easily. Danny knows her clothes practically drown Laura, but it's still a sight she could live with seeing for as long as Laura will allow her. Danny tries to shake off the thought as Laura walks out of the bedroom, closing the door quietly on the way out.

Danny lays on the bed for a few seconds, watching the light from the candles flicker on the ceiling before she finally drags herself up out of bed to turn off her iPod. Just as she settles back into bed, Laura comes back into the room, glass of water in hand.

“Hey there, stranger.” Danny says with a laugh as she holds her hand out to Laura.

Laura smiles, but it doesn't seem genuine for some reason.

“You okay?” Danny asks, concerned.

“Yeah, I'm just… tired, I guess. I think I should go back to my dorm.” Laura replies, not making eye contact with Danny.

“What? That doesn't make sense. Laura, if you're tired, just stay here.”

Laura takes a few seconds to reply, as if considering Danny's words.

“Yeah, you're right.” Laura says with a small shake of her head and a more genuine smile this time.

“Good.” Danny says, patting the space on the bed beside her. “Now, drink your water and then get back here.”

Laura smiles and drinks her water before crawling back into bed with Danny. Laura curls up next to her before Danny remembers to blow out the candles and does as much as they settle down to actually sleep.

Danny actually has a restful night's sleep for once, and she attributes that to Laura's warm company, curled around her body just like last time. Falling asleep with Laura so close was so good, and waking up should prove just as nice. Except once Danny opens her eyes, she realizes Laura isn't wrapped around her. In fact, Laura is nowhere to be seen, nor are her clothes. But neither is Danny's white button up.

Danny scrambles out of bed to find her pants and fish around in the pockets for her phone. Once she finds, it she scrolls through her messages to find Laura's latest- a weak explanation, but an explanation none the less.

Received (7:01)  
Laura: Sorry, couldn't sleep well. Wanted to get back to researching.

Danny doesn't hear from Laura for the next couple of days and has assigned Laura a specific ringtone just so she will stop jumping at the sound of her cell phone going off. She's been occupying her time with her own class work. Though it's hard to completely distract herself when she has to see Laura's name in the stack of papers she'd been tasked with grading.

She's considering handing those off to someone else to grade, soon. It doesn't seem ethical, given everything that's happening with Laura currently.

That's when Danny's phone goes off, and this time there is no mistaking who is texting her. Though, her hope turns to sheer panic when her eyes scan over Laura's first text message in two days.

Received (18:48)  
Laura: Come quick! Stuck in library!! Bring fire extinguisher!!!


	9. We'll Burn Apart Before Night's End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's literally hollence netflix and chill. ur welcome.

Danny Lawrence is _not_ jealous. Danny Lawrence does not _get_ jealous. Danny Louise Lawrence is not jealous over the fact that Laura's hellish _vampire_ of a roommate is apparently making with the 'seduction eyes' (whatever the hell those are) at Laura in close quarters, on top of the fact that in one of Laura's latest videos, she denied being Danny's girlfriend.

So, maybe Danny is the _tiniest_ bit jealous and possibly bitter about all of the aforementioned.

But she is _not_ going to say it out loud.

Though she is determined to sit her motherfucking girlfriend down and have a bit of a chat. Also, she is never leaving Laura alone with Carmilla if it can be helped. That last one was just decided in this second because, well, Danny has her reasons.

This moment, in fact, has Danny pacing her room. She should be getting ready for her movie date with Laura Hollis. That's still standing, so maybe all hope is not lost. In fact, she is determined to get things back on track with Laura tonight. Except she can't stop thinking.

This happens sometimes. Her brain latches on to something and refuses to let go. It also has a nasty habit of taking Danny from 0 to 100 in a split second with worst-case scenarios.

Pacing helps, even the tiniest bit. Physical movement helps. Which is why, generally, Danny jogs when she gets like this. But jogging isn't an option when she wants to make a good impression on Laura during their date.

They go on dates!

Real legitimate dates!

How in the world does Laura think Danny is anything but her girlfriend?!

Okay, so maybe the pacing isn't actually helping. In fact, now she just feels trapped. So she stops, which just leaves her standing in the middle of her room, looking as helpless as she feels. Her phone buzzes in her pocket and she fishes it out, knowing exactly who the text is from before she even reads her lock screen.

Received (19:35)  
Laura: On my way over

Danny texts back her quick reply, telling Laura to just let herself in and head up to her room when she gets there.

Danny's settled that she's going to just let the evening go however it wants to, and she will just make the best of everything, if at all possible. Besides, how bad can things really go if she spends the night watching movies with Laura Hollis?

Danny's set up the room and even lit the candles around her bed by the time Laura comes in, a flurry of words.

"Okay, so I didn't know what kind of snacks you would want, so I just swiped as much as I could from the caf and the..." Laura trails off as she looks up from the piles of things in her hands to Danny and the room.

Danny grins in her direction and holds her arms out at her sides as if trying to present the room to Laura before letting them fall back down limply.

"...vending machines" Laura finally finishes, still looking at Danny, bewildered.

This is hardly the nicest thing Danny has ever done for Laura, but she keeps acting as if no one has ever done anything so thoughtful.

"I'm sure I'll like whatever you got. And besides, we have some more stuff down in the kitchen if we run out of what you brought." Danny says, trying to reassure Laura that whatever she brought to their little movie date will be fine.

"Oh, okay. Yeah, um... here, I'll just set these dooown." Laura elongates her last word as she looks for a place to set all of her things.

"Here," Danny says as she moves towards Laura, grabbing what she can before it all topples over "Let me help."

She sets what she has in her hands down at her computer desk, and Laura follows suit but Danny catches her glancing back at the bed with an almost forlorn expression.

"It's okay. We can just grab what we want to start with and take it over there with us"

That sentence actually has Laura looking back at her small pile of food with an expression Danny can't quite pin in a word. In all honestly, Laura looks like having to choose what she wants first is more of a problem than the distance between the computer desk and bed was previously.

"Or we could just pile it all up on the bed around us?" Danny offers as a solution.

Truthfully, she was trying to avoid that option, but it does seem best. Besides, the grin Laura is giving her now is worth it.

"But let me get things set up on the bed first."

"Okay, sure" Laura says.

Danny turns around and heads over to the far side of her bed, picking her laptop up off of the floor. Yes, she has a desktop computer and a laptop. The desktop her older brother insisted on building for her after hearing her talk about laptops, and was of the mind that they were inferior. Andy will never know how much Danny spent on her laptop, which she bought anyway.

Said laptop is already booted up and plugged in. All she really has to do is get comfortable on the bed with it after she pulls up the movie.

But she did this mainly to give Laura some more time to get comfortable.

"You can take your shoes off." Danny calls over her shoulder in Laura's direction.

"Oh, yeah." Laura says softly.

Danny catches Laura looking down at her shoes as if she forgot she even still had them on. Actually, she's fidgeting a bit, as if she's uncomfortable just being there, and now Danny is worried.

"You okay?" Danny asks as she sets her laptop down on the bed.

"Yeah!" Laura replies.

The issue is that Laura's reply is far too quick, and there's a strain in her voice that Danny picks up on immediately. Before she can reconsider her actions, she's walking around the bed and back over to Laura.

"I don't buy it; spill." Danny says, trying for a little bit of levity, but she knows she falters when she sees Laura hesitate.

"I, um..." Laura starts, but doesn't keep eye contact with her for more than a second or two.

Laura has been in Danny's room enough times to not be so fascinated by her messy computer desk, yet she won't tear her eyes away.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Danny asks, reaching out to grip Laura's arm to comfort her. "You can tell me."

"That's the thing, Danny. I'm not sure I can." Laura says, and Danny can't help but notice that she shifts just enough to disrupt their touching.

"You can, whatever it is; I promise." Danny says, letting her hand fall back at her side.

"What are we even doing?!" Laura exclaims, rolling her eyes up at the ceiling as she cards a hand through her hair.

"Um, getting ready to watch a movie...?" Danny offers, genuinely confused.

“Danny!” Laura snaps, looking over at her.

“What? You aren’t making any sense!” Danny replies, confused and annoyed, now. “Just tell me what’s wrong, please!”

“Maybe I should go. I don’t want this to just be another one of your flings.” Laura says, looking towards the door.

“Wait, what? What are you talking about?”

“I know I’m just a one night stand that’s lasted too long. Mel told me–”

“Wait, Mel? When did- what did Mel say?” Danny asks, knowing she sounds desperate for some answers.

“The last time I was here-”

“Wait, is that why you left?”

Laura doesn’t make eye contact with her, and Danny assumes she’s right before Laura actually answers.

“Well, I mean, that was some of it– but I really have been having these awful nightmares and I couldn’t sleep.”

“Okay, but back to Mel. Tell me exactly what she said, please?” Danny asks, and hopes she can finally get some answers.

“This isn't verbatim, but she basically said I’m just a notch on your bedpost. That you’ve slept with a lot of girls and to not really expect anything out of this.” Laura gestures vaguely at herself and Danny as she ends her statement.

“Okay, first: don’t listen to Mel. I mean, sure I have– I mean, I’m no saint, Laura. But I haven’t been– this hasn’t been some sort of game.”

Laura doesn’t say anything, and Danny continues.

“And second: I wouldn't– I haven’t ever really let myself get close to anyone before you. I don’t really know what I’m doing. All I know is that being around you makes me happy, and I’m sorry if that’s not enough.”

Laura isn't replying. She's just standing there, finally looking Danny in the eyes, and now Danny really wishes Laura would look away. But neither of them are breaking the eye contact they've established.

Danny wants to say something. These passing seconds feel like an absolute eternity, but this is something Laura has to acknowledge in some way or another. Danny can’t make these moves for her; she’s already done everything she can.

Laura opens her mouth to speak, but then closes it again and Danny's heart sinks. This is a mistake, this entire thing has been a mistake. She finally told Laura something she's never admitted to anyone, and now Laura is going to reject her. This was all a–

“It's enough.”

“What?” The question is out of Danny's mouth before she even really has time to realize she's thought it.

“Being around you makes me happy, too. It's pretty much the only stable point in all this chaos, what with the whole, ‘My roommate is a vampire’ thing I have going on. Besides, I don’t think you would lie to me.”

“I wouldn’t. I haven’t.” Danny replies immediately.

“Good.” Laura says with a smile “Now, I think we’ve got a movie to watch.”

“And a pile of snacks to consume while doing so.” Danny says, returning Laura’s smile.

“Oh believe me, Lawrence. I have not forgotten about the snacks.”

* * *

 

“What even is that dress?!” Laura exclaims, shoveling another large bite of her cookie into her mouth before pointing at the computer screen.

“You don't get to talk about fashion, Ms. Flees-her-brooding-lover.” Danny retorts.

“Hey! That's what we were going for at the time!” Laura yells as she shoves Danny's arm playfully.

“And you were the one who had it on hand in your closet!” Danny replies, rolling with the shove before she straightens back up with a laugh.

“Well that– that doesn't matter!” Laura blurts out, unable to come up with more of an argument.

“Seems to be my point, so I'd say it does matter.” Danny says with a smug smile.

She's actually caught off-guard by Laura pulling her down by the collar of her shirt, but it being Laura, she really should have expected it.

“Oh, just shut up!” Laura says, trying to keep her voice down, given their new close proximity before leaning in for a kiss.

“No, no, cookie breath!” Danny yells in between laughter as she leans away from Laura.

“Oh, you've kissed me with worse, Danny!” Laura retorts as she climbs on top of Danny, careful to not jostle the laptop

“Doesn't mean I want–” Danny is cut off with a kiss that, despite her earlier protests, she returns enthusiastically.

Laura tries moving more on top of her, but the laptop's current placement doesn't give enough leeway for her to get her way. Danny Lawrence is not about to deny Laura Hollis anything she wants, especially if it involves Laura being on top of her. So, Danny moves the laptop, which unfortunately does mean pulling away from Laura long enough to move her laptop from on top of the bed to beneath it.

“Just hold-” Danny is cut off with a kiss. “Hold on!” She finally finishes when she pushes Laura back the tiniest bit.

“Then hurry.” Laura says with what Danny would clearly classify as a pout, but she sits back all the same, letting Danny do what needs to be done.

“Okay, okay!” Danny says with a laugh as she closes the laptop and slides it underneath her bed.

The moment Danny is upright again, Laura is on her. Their kisses are only broken up by the apparent necessity to move. That is, Laura moving to straddle Danny's hips. And as soon as Laura is settled, Danny lets her hands wander, namely to Laura's ass appreciatively and to guide her hips into her own. They've kept this up for a while, damning the biological need to breathe.

“Do you think--” Laura starts, but Danny cuts her off with another kiss.

Laura tries again, but Danny can't stop herself from stealing another kiss. Though really. it can hardly be called stealing when Laura was the one to initiate this whole thing.

“Do you think that-” Laura is rudely interrupted by kisses Danny will never regret. “-maybe we're overdressed?”

“Yes.” Danny immediately replies. “But you always are. To me, at least.”

“Oh really?” Laura says as she rolls her hips into Danny's and sits back, lifting up her t-shirt.

“Yes, always- god, you're so hot.” Danny can't help but let the words fall out of her mouth because she is far too preoccupied with the sliver of skin she can see from where Laura is lifting her shirt.

Laura laughs, and Danny wants to hear that sound all the time. More than that, though, she wants to be the _reason_ Laura laughs. Right now, though she wants to have Laura making some other sounds. Laughter, however, is always appreciated.

“Glad you think so.” Laura says, slowly lifting her shirt so that Danny can just barely see the underside of her bra.

“Going for the slow game, Hollis?” Danny asks, flicking her eyes up to Laura's face.

Laura Hollis is currently straddling her, undressing on top of her, and biting her bottom lip. All things considered, Danny should be given a medal for being able to comprehend the words coming out of Laura's mouth right now.

“Well, who knows. You might enjoy the slow game.” Laura says, licking her lips and giving Danny a look she can't really understand, but by god, she wants to see it for as long as she can, especially from Laura.

“You've got it all mixed up, you know...” Danny trails off before gripping Laura's ass and pulling her closer.

“Oh yeah? How's that?” Laura tries to reply, but as anticipated, she falls forward and squeals as she catches herself on the wall.

Laura's chest is pressed against Danny's face, and Danny thinks she could honestly die happy in this moment. But then Laura pushes herself back a bit so that she's not pressed against Danny as much, and she's sitting up on her knees, now. Danny can't help but like the feeling of having to draw her eyes _up_ at Laura. Even if this current position has Laura's hips breaking contact with Danny's, she's all for it as she slides her hands from Laura's ass up to her lower back, underneath Laura's shirt.

“Cheater.” Laura says before leaning down and kissing Danny hard as she settles back down on Danny's hips with her arms draped around Danny's shoulders

“You love it.” Danny says against Laura's mouth.

“Maybe.” Laura replies as they kiss again.

Danny's hands are still on Laura's back, trailing up slowly, trying to get Laura undressed quicker because the effort had been abandoned and seeing as it was Laura's idea in the first place, Danny wants to help that specific endeavor along if at all possible. Plus, she just wants Laura naked as quickly as possible.

“Too many clothes, right?” Danny asks.

Laura hums in reply and doesn't stop Danny's hands venturing higher up, unclasping the back of her bra. Danny's hands slide to Laura's sides and settle on her ribs as she looks up at her. She doesn't move and Laura doesn't either, at least neither of them are moving immediately. Personally, Danny wants to appreciate being in this moment. It's going to be gone so quickly, so the time she can just sit here and appreciate the feeling of every breath in and out Laura takes is nice, and something she doesn't want to let go of just yet.

Until Laura's hands are right above hers, lifting the rest of her shirt up and over her head, taking her bra with her and slinging it behind her, shifting so that Danny isn't slung in the face with her clothes.

“Fuck...” Danny breaths out, letting her eyes trail over Laura's bare chest.

“Like what you see?” Laura asks.

Danny knows she's grinning when she replies, even if everything feels just a bit farther out of her reach, as if her actions are happening in slow motion.

“Yes.”

Danny's mouth is on Laura before she can really think of doing anything. Her thoughts aren't much more than 'Laura' at this point. She wants to make Laura feel good. She wants to appreciate every single part of Laura that she can touch. Which is why she is currently peppering kisses over Laura's chest before she takes one of Laura's nipples into her mouth, cupping her other breast in her hand. The soft sounds falling from Laura's mouth only encourage Danny further as she switches sides.

“Danny...” Laura practically moans Danny's name

Danny doesn't bother doing anything other than what she has set out to do, switching sides again.

“Danny.” Laura repeats herself, and her voice sounds just a bit more together, which causes Danny to pull back, worried she has done something wrong.

“What? What is it? Are you okay? Did I-” Danny's rambling is cut off, thankfully.

“The door; did you lock it?” Laura asks, looking over at Danny's bedroom door.

The question doesn't register in her mind for a split second because Laura looks so damn good topless, illuminated by candlelight and straddling her with kiss swollen lips. But then Laura's words _do_ register, and Danny almost makes for the door until she remembers Laura is literally on top of her, and dropping the half naked girl sitting on top of her onto her bedroom floor would not be a good idea.

“Shit, no, I didn't.” Danny says.

“Then go.” Laura says as she gets up off of Danny.

Danny pretty much falls towards the door, but she manages to stay upright enough to actually lock the door and then turn around grinning like an idiot at Laura, who is actually sitting on the bed, shimmying out of her jeans and looking sheepishly at Danny.

“You turned back around quicker than I thought you would.” Laura says, blushing a tiny bit.

“I can't say I'm sorry.” Danny says as she stands there watching Laura undress.

“You're too far away.” Laura says, now completely naked as she holds her hand out to Danny.

“Well we can't have that, can we?” Danny asks as she makes her way back to the bed, undressing as she goes, leaving a small trail behind her.

Danny unbuttons her pants as she steps in front of Laura, who scoots farther back onto the bed enough that she can get up on her knees in front of her. There's still enough of a gap between their heights that Danny has to lean down, but the hand Laura has at the back of her neck is pulling her down, giving her little option but to meet Laura for a kiss. They're kissing when Laura's hands go to Danny's stomach, blindly trailing down to tug Danny's pants and boxers down the small amount she can before she ends up breaking their kiss, more interested in getting Danny naked than kissing.

“Here, let me.” Danny says as she steps back enough to lean down and step out of her pants and boxers, letting them pool at her feet before she steps back towards Laura and kisses her again.

“Come here.” Laura says as she shuffles back, pulling Danny with her

Danny moves forward, and their mouths bump together as she tries to get up on the bed again. As Danny finally situates herself, Laura wastes little time, pushing Danny back on to the bed. Danny bounces on the mattress just a bit as she lands on her back, and then Laura's straddling her again. This time, Laura leans down with her chest pressed to Danny's as they lay there kissing for a while before Laura breaks for what Danny can only assume is air.

“Hey, Danny, do you think we could um, maybe try something?” Laura asks, looking at Danny's mouth and decidedly _not_ Danny's eyes.

“Uh, sure?” Danny starts. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well...” Laura trails off.

“Hey, just ask, I'm not gonna judge.”

“Okay, well, when I was here last, you know I had to borrow some clothes and I saw- I swear I wasn't snooping but you really suck at hiding things-” Laura pauses and looks up at Danny, finally.

“Rambling.” Danny says with a soft smile.

“Right. I saw you had a strap-on.” Laura states simply, but she's gone red.

“Oh that...” Danny replies. “And you want to... _oh!_ ”

“I mean, isn't that what it's for?” Laura asks, fidgeting slightly.

“Are you sure you're ready for something like that?” Danny asks.

She doesn't want to come off as patronizing, but Danny knows she's the first person Laura has ever had sex with so far, and there is something to the idea of the inexperienced wanting to bite off more than they can chew.

“I want to try.” Laura says with a small nod.

“Okay.” Danny concedes, leaning up and kissing Laura before they both move so Danny can get up off of the bed.

She makes her way over to her dresser and pulls out the strap-on and harness she kept hidden under her clothes. As soon as Danny realized there was a company that made harnesses that were literally just a pair of boxer briefs, she saved up the money she could and purchased them. It's way easier to slip these on and situate the dildo between her legs than it ever would have been fumbling with straps. The quicker she can get her shit together, the quicker she can get to having sex with whoever it is, and that was a huge bonus in Danny's book.

Danny grabs the small bottle of lube out of the dresser drawer, too and goes to turn around, only to be met with Laura standing right beside her. She can't help but jump, mainly because Laura is _right there_ and Danny had not been expecting that.

“Shit, you scared me.” Danny says, trying to calm down.

“Oh, sorry.” Laura says, making to grab the items from Danny's hands.

“What are you doing? I kind of ...need that...?” Danny asks, pulling back the slightest bit.

“Oh. Actually I- I wanted to...” Laura trails off and then sighs before continuing. “I wanted to use it on _you._ ”

“Oh.” the word falls from Danny's mouth before Laura's statement clicks, “Oh... _oh!_ ” Danny's repeating herself with different inflections as realization dawns on her, and then she's just standing there feeling a bit stupid.

“I mean, if you don't want to- if that's not something you're comfortable with, that's fine. We don't even have to use it.” Laura pipes up, trying to fill the silence between them with reassurances.

“No, it's okay, really. I don't mind. I just assumed-”

“Yeah.”

A small silence falls over them as they stand there just looking at one another, again. Laura doesn't say anything as she frees Danny's hands of the strap on and lube. Danny doesn't even fight it, and later on that will come back up and stick in Danny's mind for the longest time. But for now, she's just along for the ride, in a manner of speaking.

“I'm not even sure if it will fit you.” Danny says after a long pause, finally feeling the need to say something. Besides, it's true.

“Only one way to find out.” Laura says with a grin.

It fits. Thank god for spandex.

Soon enough, Laura's situated and they're kissing again, so Danny really can't complain. Especially not when Laura is on top of her.

“Mm, Danny--” Laura starts but is cut off by another kiss.

Danny’s heart is pounding in her chest and she's actually nervous. It's been so long since she's felt nervous with someone- then again, Laura seems to always make Danny feel things no one else ever has. It's not like she wasn't hesitant with Laura their first time, but this isn't their first time—except it sort of is.

At least in one regard.

“Danny,” Laura tries again and Danny doesn't cut her off this time, no matter how tempting it may be to kiss her again. “Do you want to...?”

Laura trails off, and Danny can follow her point pretty easily.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah.” Danny finds herself saying as she nods.

“Okay, good. Remember you've gotta tell me if something isn't okay. I can't feel anything.” Laura says, and Danny does kiss her after that.

“I know.” Danny says as she pulls back the slightest bit

“Oh yeah, you would wouldn't you?” Laura says before she kisses Danny again, biting and tugging at Danny's bottom lip as she pulls back.

Her heart feels like it's jumped into her throat as she watches Laura settle back, slick up the dildo with lube and situate herself between her legs before she leans forward the slightest bit.

“You good?” Laura asks, sounding worried.

“Yeah, you haven't even done--” Danny is cut off as Laura moves forward again not exactly hitting her mark.

“Lower” Danny says before she grabs the strap-on herself and guides it down until it's positioned properly.

“Sorry.” Laura says, not moving.

“It's fine, really. Keep going.” Danny says before grabbing Laura by the hips and pulling her forward.

Danny sucks in a breath, and Laura's mouth is running.

“Shit, are you okay?”

“I'm fine. _Move._ ”

And then Laura's hips are pulling back before pushing forward, and Danny regrets not having tried this with anyone before, but at the same time she is _so_ glad she did this for the first time with Laura of all people.

The pace isn't consistent and Danny looks up at Laura to find apprehension running over her features, and she wants to do anything to chase those feelings away because they have no place here between them. Not now. So she does the only thing she can think of; she pulls Laura down and kisses her before pulling back and whispering against her lips.

“It's just me; relax.”

She can feel Laura's shoulders drop, and then Laura's kissing her with force and slowly moving her hips again, still hesitant with her pace, but Danny can live with that for now. After all it _is_ a new experience for them both.

Laura finally speeds up her pace as her thumb slides over Danny's clit, and the barrage of feelings is almost too much because Laura went from hesitant to an unforgiving roughness in the span of Danny's consent.

“Oh fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” Danny's panting, not caring that her volume level is rapidly increasing.

“You like that?” Laura asks, but Danny knows it's probably not a question.

“Yes, oh fuck me, please!” Danny finds herself answering, regardless.

Laura keeps going, not letting up at all until Danny has fallen over that edge and her back is bowing as she grabs at anything she can reach—which just so happens to be the small of Laura's back. She knows she's raking her nails across Laura's back and over her hips, but Laura's doesn't seem to mind in the least.

“Okay, okay, okay!” Danny's chanting as she grabs for Laura's hand, trying to still it, seeing as Laura hasn't actually stopped touching her.

Thankfully, Laura stopped moving her hips, but it was more Danny's body protesting that action than Laura actually wanting to stop, if the current situation is anything to go by.

“Do you want to stop?” Laura's asking, and Danny knows she needs to answer but the words won't come to her.

“Danny, do you want to stop?” Laura asks again, and finally Danny finds herself long enough to answer.

“No.”

That was not what Danny planned on saying, but the moment the word is out of her mouth, she knows it's true.

“Okay.” Laura replies, her fingers slowing their pace over her clit.

“Mm, feels good.” Danny hums as she closes her eyes, trying to just feel the sensations.

“I'm glad.” Laura says before speeding up the slightest bit.

Danny's breath catches in her throat, and her hips move up to meet Laura's fingers as much as she can. She's honestly not sure when Laura's hips started moving again, but Danny wants it all for as long as she can have it.

“Laura!” Danny's screaming Laura's name as her next orgasm rolls through her, and even she was caught off guard by it, but Laura didn't stop.

Laura still hasn't stopped, and Danny's coming again and again before her body is just one giant overstimulated nerve and all she wants is for Laura to be still- but also kiss her. Danny needs Laura on top of her just being there, but by god, she also needs Laura kissing her. It's not a want, this is now something Danny needs beyond all measure, and she isn't even sure why.

“Kiss me, please.” Danny chokes out the words.

“Danny?” Laura's saying her name like a question, and Danny doesn't understand why.

“Kiss me.” Danny says again, and Laura obliges after she pulls out of Danny slowly.

Everything is happening far too slowly for Danny's liking because Laura is too far away, still and decidedly not kissing her and that is not okay. But then Laura's right there, and they're kissing and it's something slow, but somehow it's the best kind of slow right now. Until Laura pulls back and says Danny's name like it's a question, again.

“What? Why do you keep saying my name like that?” Danny asks, wanting to make sense of this whole thing.

“You were crying.” Laura answers, wiping at Danny's cheeks.

“I what? No, I-I'm okay. It's okay. You didn't-” Even Danny knows her own words are pressured and sound frantic, but Danny can't stop herself.

“Okay, okay, it's alright, I believe you.” Laura says.

Then they're kissing, and everything is the good kind of slow again. Danny doesn't move for a while until she actually has to, but it's a struggle to pry herself away from Laura, especially when she seems to need Laura as close as any one person can actually be to her. But she does it because her body and bladder are screaming at her and she can't ignore it any longer.

“I'll be here when you get back.” Laura says between kisses as Danny hesitates making her way to the bathroom.

“Promise?” Danny asks, and hates how vulnerable she made that one word sound.

“Promise” Laura says with a nod as Danny straightens up. “Now go.” Laura says as she kicks Danny forward lightly.

Danny goes.

Laura didn't lie, though. She is there when Danny walks back into the bedroom, only to give Danny a quick kiss before running off to the bathroom herself.

Danny starts blowing out the majority of the candles around her room, save for the one on her nightstand given that they actually do need some light so at least Laura can manage to navigate Danny's room and not ram her foot into Danny's bed or desk. She would like her _girlfriend_ to leave her bedroom unharmed, if at all possible. That thought brings on two realizations at once. One, she didn't actually talk to Laura about that whole girlfriend business and two, she did actually hurt Laura earlier.

She gets up out of bed and knocks on the door of the bathroom.

“Laura, you okay?” Danny asks against the door.

“Yeah, you can come in, you know.” Laura replies

Danny opens the door at that and she finds Laura standing there, looking over the angry red marks Danny trailed over the small of her back and hips. Danny can't help herself, she reaches out and lightly trails her fingertips over the marks.

“I'm sorry.” Danny says immediately.

“I'm not.” Laura replies just as quickly.

Danny's eyes flick up from Laura's side to Laura's eyes. Laura's absolutely grinning, and Danny can't help but return the gesture before Laura's hands are pulling Danny closer and she finds herself bending down to meet Laura for yet another kiss.

“Just means I get to mark you at some point. Maybe hickeys all around your neck?” Laura says as she leans in and starts sucking on Danny's pulse point.

“Mm, not that I don't appreciate the idea, because I really _do_. But I do believe you never got yours, Ms. Hollis.” Danny says as she pulls back just enough to break Laura's contact with her neck.

“Well then, Ms. Lawrence I do believe you need to give me something to scream about.” Laura says before she runs back into the bedroom and flings herself onto the bed.

Danny follows her back into the bedroom and climbs up the bed only far enough that her face is settled between Laura's thighs. Danny licks long strokes up to Laura's clit before she circles around and then dips down to suck hard.

“Keep doing that.” Laura says, and Danny can't help but take it as an order.

Danny has always been very good at following orders.

Laura comes screaming Danny's name three times before she's pushing Danny away and then pulling her up for a kiss. They lie like that for a while, Danny on top of Laura, kissing lazily as they just stay there. Somewhere in the midst of the comedown, Laura began running her fingertips over Danny's shoulder and down her back before going back up with no sort of method to her movements, and Danny feels herself relaxing in a way she never really thought possible.

“Stay.” Danny finds herself saying.

“I want to.” Laura replies, her voice heavy with sleep.

“Then stay.” Danny mumbles before kissing Laura again.

“You know I can't. Laf and Perry are doing vampire watch duty and I can't leave them there all night.”

“I am pretty sure you can.” Danny says before kissing Laura again, this time getting three long kisses in before Laura breaks the contact.

“I want to, but I have to go.”

“Then I'll go with you?” Danny offers.

“Mm, you know I'd love that-”

“Then it's settled.” Danny says, cutting Laura off.

“Danny...” Laura replies.

Danny doesn't have to be looking at Laura's frown to know the answer that's coming, but still, looking at said frown only solidifies things in the worst way.

“I know, I know. I just don't like the idea of you being there all alone with a vampire all night.” Danny says, breaking eye contact with Laura and looking at her shoulder instead.

“I have been alone in that tiny dorm room with her for a while now. Nothing bad has happened yet. If she wanted to hurt me, I'm pretty sure it would have already happened.” Laura lifts Danny's chin and forces eye contact again. “I'll be okay, and if I'm not, I know how to text you.” Laura says, punctuating the last statement with a long kiss.

They finally break apart and actually get up and get dressed. There is no way Danny is going to let Laura walk out of the Summer Society house alone. In fact, she is determined to walk Laura all the way to her dorm, no matter if Laura protests at first. The campus isn't safe at night and she-

“Okay” Laura's reply breaks Danny out of her thoughts.

There was no fight about Danny escorting Laura back to her dorm, surprisingly.

“Okay?” Danny asks out of sheer shock.

“Mhm. It means I get even more time with you, doesn't it?” Laura asks, taking Danny's hand in her own.

The walk across campus is actually a slow one, simply because Danny can't force herself to get Laura there any sooner because that means an actual goodbye, and she does not want to face that reality right now, thank you very much.

“You know, at some point we should really finish that movie.” Laura says, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen over them.

Danny can't help but shrug noncommittally because they are actually coming up on Crowley Hall and this is all happening faster than Danny actually wanted.

“Oh ,come on. Don't be a Mr. Grumpy Gills.” Laura says, tugging on Danny's arm.

Danny just grunts in reply.

“I know what will make you happy!” Laura says as she tugs on Danny's arm again.

“You coming back to the Summer Society house with me right now?” Danny suggests in vain.

“No! I mean yes, that would, but that's not going to happen. I was going to say kisses.” Laura says, smiling and pulling Danny back because she has actually stopped where she was.

Danny Lawrence is not going to smile. No matter how cute Laura is being right now, it is not going to work. She will never smile when she has to walk her girl- the girl she really, really likes back into practically a lion's den, only worse. It doesn't matter that Laura is making the best puppy dog eyes Danny has seen outside of her younger sister.

“Come on! Kisses!” Laura practically demands as she tugs Danny down. “Kisses and smiles from my Grumpy Gills.”

Danny smiles into their kisses before Laura tugs her away and they're running through the hallways of Crowley Hall, and Danny almost forgets just exactly what they are doing there.

“I will see you tomorrow.” Laura says as Danny looks from her to the door.

“You better.” Danny says.

“I will. I've never lied to you, Lawrence. Besides you're kinda my TA I'd have to see you at _some_ point.”

Danny frowns, hard.

“Okay, okay, none of that. I promise I will see you tomorrow, and we can make up some sort of code word so you know that no one has stolen my phone and is pretending to be me after my vampire roommate brutally murders me.”

“Was any of that supposed to be comforting?” Danny asks, her voice flat.

“Code word, Sherlock. That was supposed to be the reassuring part. Oh! How about Sherlock? You called me Watson before- which honestly, why couldn't I have been Sher--”

Danny cuts Laura off with a kiss.

“Sometimes you talk too much.”

“Sometimes I like you shutting me up. But only sometimes.”

“Also, I will text you the code word when I get back to the Summer Society house. Vampire hearing.” Danny says, crooking her thumb at the door.

“Oh, good idea!” Laura says before kissing Danny again and again and again until finally, finally they pull apart and Laura's hand goes to the doorknob.

When Laura opens the door just a crack, a voice comes through.

“No one needs vampire hearing for that mush. You guys are so loud!” Lafontaine yells from inside the room.

“You have no idea!” Danny yells back, and that earns her a playful shove from Laura. “What? It's true.”

“Shut up and go back home.” Laura says with a smile “And text me when you get there.” Laura adds before heading into her dorm room.

“Aye aye cap'n.” Danny says with a two finger salute before she heads back to the Summer Society house.

Sent (23:59)  
Danny: Back snug in my bed. How's it over there?

Received (0:00)  
Laura: Wish I was there instead of here. Laf wouldn't let me live down your comment. Carmilla was strangely quiet but I am taking that at face value.

Sent (0:00)  
Danny: You could be here if you wanted.

Sent (0:00)  
Danny: Just come over.

Received (0:01)  
Laura: You know I can't. But I will see you tomorrow. Oh! What's the code word???

Sent (0:02)  
Danny: Monkeyslut.

Received (0:02)  
Laura: What???????

Sent (0:02)  
Danny: What are the chances of that being used in a normal conversation? Kinda low, no?

Received (0:03)  
Laura: Alright, I can work with that...I guess...

Danny rolls over in her bed and blows out the last candle, finally- granted, she should have blown it out before she left her bedroom to walk Laura back to her dorm, but there really wasn't any danger in not doing it seeing as everything is fine here. Danny falls asleep with her phone on her chest, and dreams about Laura and the way her lips feel against her own.

The next day, whenever any of her Sisters see her in the house, they start moaning Laura's name and banging their fists on any hard surface they can find. It's a small price to pay for such a good night. And besides, Danny just got a good morning text from Laura asking to meet for coffee, including their code word, so Danny is not going to complain.


	10. Holding You Is Like Catching Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny is bad at communication. Like really bad.

Sent (19:35)  
Danny: So how’s it going over there??

Received (19:37)  
Laura: She has gone through the first season of TVD. She is binge watching the vampire diaries. The. Vampire. Diaries. Danny. Help.

Danny shifts in her bed, not caring that she has essentially knocked her last few hours of homework off of her bed entirely.

Sent (19:37)  
Danny: Well you could always come over early if you want?

Received (19:38)  
Laura: I thought you were coming over here?

Sent (19:38)  
Danny: Oh, well...come over anyway.

Immediately after sending the text, Danny positions herself and then snaps a picture of herself on the bed, trying to make herself and the empty space beside her look as appealing as humanly possible.

Sent (19:38)  
Danny: [Picture]  
Come on, you know my bed is waaay more inviting than listening to your captive watch The Vampire Diaries. She’s just complaining about it a lot, isn’t she???

Received (19:39)  
Laura: That’s just playing dirty, Lawrence!!

Sent (19:41)  
Danny: But it’s working, isn’t it?

Received (19:43)  
Laura: Not the point!!!! And actually, she seems to be getting really into it… Which honestly DOES mean her complaining incessantly...

Received (19:43)  
Laura: On my way over.

Danny writes back a quick reply and then sits up in bed, looking around for whatever might be left of the homework she hastily abandoned in favor of texting Laura. Luckily, she had enough sense to finish said homework, but not enough to care where it may have fallen- at least not at first. She finds it just underneath her bed and swipes it up before stuffing it in the front page of her textbook to be organized appropriately later on.

There is more than one selfish reason Danny has essentially wrangled Laura into coming over early, and she can't help but mull those factors over as she places her books on her computer desk before she plops her body down on the bed. The thoughts come to her the second her back hits the mattress. She's worried, of course she is; Laura hasn't let go of her newest findings about Carmilla since she found them out. She's like a dog with a bone, and Danny really can't stomach the excuses anymore. Besides, she's watched Laura's videos. She's seen the way Laura softens around Carmilla, now and it's not something she's found herself particularly eager to seek out. The less time Laura spends playing kidnapper, the more comfortable Danny will be; especially since the one being held hostage is in fact a _vampire_. Something everyone else seems to want to ignore.

Danny has offered to let Laura stay the night with her in the Summer Society house. She's even offered to stay in Laura's dorm if that would work better, but Laura counters that there is no way Danny could sleep comfortably on her twin bed with her, and there's no way Laura could justify taking away a restful night's sleep from Danny. Really, Laura is safe where she is and has been for the past few days they have been holding Carmilla.

Danny's just terrified Laura's luck is going to run out, and there's no way she can cut into Laura's rants about how much she really doesn't need to worry, with the sentiments that she would gladly and easily forfeit sleep and comfort if it means waking up in the morning knowing Laura is safe.

She's getting tired of using their code word after every morning or night text. She's getting tired of worrying so much about everything. About the glances shared between Laura and Carmilla, about the way Laura's shoulders drop when Carmilla starts speaking sometimes, about whether or not she's going to wake up to a text that doesn't have the word monkeyslut behind it and not out of carelessness on Laura's part. Danny doesn't want to wake up to Laura hurt or _worse_ , because she is absolutely sure that she couldn't handle something like that happening; not if there was something to do that could prevent it. And there are a lot of things she could be doing- a lot of things she _wants_ to be doing, but Laura won't hear any of it, and it's starting to feel like talking to a brick wall.

Danny jumps when a knock sounds at her door; she wasn't expecting knocking. In fact, Danny didn't even think Laura would be here so soon. Though maybe Laura just booked it to the Summer Society house- maybe Laura really _does_ want to see her that badly.

“Come in!” Danny calls out, not bothering to get up from the bed. Her strategic plan is to pull Laura down next to her- when she gets close enough, anyway.

“Hi, Danny. I'm not- you're not busy, are you?” Beth asks, hovering in the doorway.

“Oh, um,” Danny sits up as she realizes it's not Laura at her door. “No, I'm not busy, come in.”

Beth hesitates for a few seconds before walking into the room and sitting down at Danny's computer desk, the chair already turned to face towards Danny.

“I just- um, wanted to talk?” Beth fumbles over her words, lilting the last word up as if in question.

“Yeah, sure, of course.” Danny says as she reaches out and squeezes Beth’s knee, trying to be reassuring.

“It’s–” Beth cuts herself off as she looks up at the ceiling, sighing loudly, taking a shaky breath in before looking back down at Danny.

Danny doesn’t say anything. She knows to just give Beth the time and space to get this out- it’s not as if Danny is completely in the dark about what Beth wants to talk about, anyway.

“It’s…Elsie.” Beth finally finishes, looking pained as the name leaves her mouth.

Danny can’t help but flick her eyes to her bedroom door. Usually, uttering Elsie’s name was an infallible way to summon her to that very spot, even if she had been in a completely different part of the house and couldn’t have heard whoever said her name. They used to joke that it was like summoning a demon, and Elsie would always correct them to say she was a demon _queen_.

“You still look for her, too?” Beth whispers, drawing Danny’s eyes from the door back to her.

“I- yeah.” Danny replies, lamely.

“At least it’s not just me.”

Danny opens her mouth to say something, anything, because she can’t bear the thought of letting Beth go through this alone, but Beth beats her to it, and Danny has enough sense to just close her mouth and let Beth speak.

“It’s funny, you know?” Beth starts in, her voice as far from amused as any one person’s could ever be. “I keep expecting her to barge into places like always, being louder than life. I keep expecting her to come back with some smart remark after I say something at one of the meetings. I keep– I keep–” Beth starts to falter, and Danny knows this is a struggle and wants to save her from it, but she knows Beth wouldn’t allow as much; she needs to get this out.

“You always think you have more time. I keep thinking about everything I should have told her… I just wish she was still here to get mad at, you know? I wish she was here so I could tell her I still love her. I know we– it was freshman year and we were idiots, but god Danny, I loved her so much. And she fucked that up, but I really– I did– _I do_.”

“I’m sorry, Beth. We’re doing everything we can–”

“Oh god, Danny, I know you are! Please, I just– needed to talk about it, you know?”

“Yeah, I get that.”

They sit like that for a few seconds, just letting the silence wash over them. It’s Beth that breaks it first.

“She isn’t always so in your face. There were times she was– _is_ so full of life. It isn’t always bravado; she is so sweet sometimes- actually, almost all of the time. Even when she’s playing it up, she always keeps my feelings in mind, even after– after she slept with that girl. We were… I thought we were on our way back to a good place…” Beth trails off, her voice starting out soft to begin with, and then just dying out entirely.

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask where monkeyslut–” Laura’s words die in the air as Danny’s attention is drawn to her door. “-Came from.” Laura finishes, and stands there awkwardly for a few seconds.

“I’m sorry, I can go...” Laura finally says as she motions back behind her with her free hand not on the doorknob while she starts to step backwards.

Danny looks from Laura to Beth, and then back at Laura. She doesn’t want to kick anyone out but thankfully, Beth takes the decision out of her hands.

“No, it’s okay. I have a pile of homework calling my name.” Beth says as she gets up from the computer chair. Before she leaves, though, she turns back around and smiles at Danny. “Thank you for listening.”

“Yeah, of course.” Danny replies with a nod.

Danny motions Laura forward into the room as soon as Beth leaves and the door closes behind her. Laura has been standing in the doorway looking uncomfortable for far too long, and while Danny can understand the discomfort, she really doesn't want her space to seem unwelcoming for Laura. She wants a Laura-friendly room.

“C'mere.” Danny says, stretching her arm out and flexing her hand towards Laura in a grabbing motion.

Laura thankfully obliges as she steps forward and into Danny's personal space, a very welcome intrusion. Laura begins running her fingers through Danny's hair and all Danny really wants to do is curl into Laura and never let go, but that would probably be a bit too much- especially given how things have been hovering between them.

“Not a good talk?”

Danny shakes her head in response and mutters her reply against Laura's stomach.

“No.”

Danny pulls back and looks up at Laura, whose brow is creased in what Danny can easily read as concern. She knows they should probably talk, but Danny really doesn't want to do that right now. All the words she could possibly string together just feel far too heavy, and right now, Danny just wants something simple and easy to understand.

Kissing Laura Hollis is easy to understand, and it drives all of those heavy words and concepts away, even if only for a small while.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Laura asks.

No, Danny does not want to talk about it; not now or ever, to be honest. She shakes her head in response, and Laura seems to accept the answer easily enough. There isn't even a moment of protest when Danny pulls Laura down on the bed and they continue kissing and Danny lets her hands wander.

Fucking Laura Hollis is easy and simple and Danny deserves something good; she is going to make that good thing be the sound of her name on Laura's lips when she comes.

* * *

 

“Getting out of bed right now would be a crime.” Danny says as she rolls onto her side, her arm going around Laura's middle, trying to keep them in this moment just a little bit longer.

In all honesty, Danny worries that the moment their feet hit the hardwood of the floor beneath them, the spell of their post coital bliss will be broken, and she really doesn't want to face reality yet.

“Okay, just a little bit longer.” Laura says as she runs her hand up and down Danny's arm, fingertips trailing lightly.

“Thank you.” Danny can't help the sentiment; she knows Laura has to go back to Crowley Hall sometime tonight- it's a given, but Danny really doesn't want to face that, and Laura is being merciful and putting it off for a little while longer.

“Of course. Besides, I'm not really sure you would let me leave...and I'm not really sure I want to.” Laura says before leaning over and kissing Danny.

Danny is trying her hardest to not nitpick that phrasing. She is trying to take Laura's words for what they are supposed to be: a comfort. But Laura's words aren't actually a comfort because Laura didn't _really_ say she wanted to stay. She didn't make staying the certainty she used to, before. Danny's failing at taking Laura's words at face value and she just wishes that she could stop what feels like an absolute free fall of the dangerous kind.

“What's wrong?” Laura asks, breaking Danny from her thoughts.

“Oh, nothing. Just thinking...”

“Is it about Elsie and Beth?” Laura ventures.

“Oh, um, no. I just-” Danny pauses and shakes her head. “It's nothing, really. Not when you're in my bed and looking very kissable.”

“Then kiss me.”

And Danny does just that; she kisses Laura and tries to forget the swirling doubts in her head, and it works. For a while, they're just in that moment, kissing and being close and everything is okay. Danny's pretty sure nothing is actually okay, but it's a nice enough lie to tell herself in the moment. Besides, she has habit of seeing the worst in every moment when she gets like this, so maybe it really is just all in her head- she hopes so at least.

“Tell me something you haven't told anyone else.” Laura asks as they lay there, pressed up against each other.

Danny rolls over onto her back and looks at the ceiling before she answers.

“Sometimes I wonder what my life would have looked like if my parents had stayed together.”

“Danny, I-” Laura starts to speak, but Danny cuts her off.

Danny knows that tone of voice. That soft, pitying sound that hits her down to her core. This really isn't a situation for that; it's not as if Danny wishes her parents had stayed together, it's just that there is that whole unknown that was _supposed_ to be her life at one point, and sometimes she just wonders.

“It's fine. They got divorced when I was twelve and I know they're better off not together and I really don't want them to be together. Or hell, god forbid I _become them_..." Danny stops herself there because that was an admission she never meant to make. She tries to steer herself back on course and hopes Laura hasn't caught on. "But Tori was really young and I kind of had to pick up the slack when Mom worked insanely long hours.”

“Tori's your sister?” Laura asks.

Danny can't believe she hasn't mentioned her family before, but at the same time, she can. It's easier to keep people at arm's length; especially when it comes to the Lawrence family chaos.

“Yeah. There's Andy, who's two years older than me, Ollie who's actually a year younger than you, and Tori, who's the baby. She just turned ten and I'm pretty sure she can't decide if I'm the coolest person on this planet, or if she's deemed me the lamest person to ever exist. I guess only time will tell but god, I love that kid.”

“Do you want to talk about them?” Laura asks as she shifts to lay partially on top of Danny.

“I'm pretty sure you'd be bored to tears if I started talking about them.” Danny answers, but she really _does_ want to talk about them; it seems a safe subject.

“No I wouldn't. I mean- it's just me and my Dad, and he's great, really, but… after my mom died, he got really paranoid and started becoming the same guy that sent me here with a year's worth of bear spray. I always wanted siblings.”

Danny can't stop her response before it's out of her mouth.

“That's just because you don't have any.”

There's a flash of pain that crosses Laura's face, and it doesn't last too long, but it was still there and Danny just wants to kick herself because there is a detail Laura left out of her story, and now she feels like an asshole for even asking, but it still feels like something she needs to say. The answer needs to hang between them because Danny needs to know if she is right in her assumption.

“How- how did your mom die, Laura?”

“Car accident.” The answer holds no emotion in it, and the brisk way Laura answers shows years of practice- so much so that she's detached herself completely from the concept.

“I'm sorry.” Danny answers, her voice soft and holding regret for this line of conversation.

“It's okay. I mean, it's not _okay_ but there's nothing to be done about it. I was in the car when it happened and I don't really remember much, but I looked it up when I was a little older. I was seven when it happened and it was _bad_. Everyone kept telling me it was a blessing that I didn't remember, but I didn't get why... until I did.”

A silence hangs over them at that, and Danny doesn't feel brave enough to break it. Oddly, it feels like something Laura should break. It was Laura's story, and it doesn't feel finished yet, so all Danny can do is bide her time.

Running her fingers through Laura's hair and down her bare back seems a good a task as any she could give herself to pass the time. Besides, she's hoping it actually comforts Laura, even if only a little bit.

“I remember being carried away from the car and screaming for my mom. I remember the police officer staying with me while I got looked over by the paramedics. I remember hating that officer and his really nice smile with everything I had in me because he just wasn't letting me see my mom...”

“Laura, I'm sorry.” Danny says and it doesn't feel remotely enough, but it's all she has.

“It was- she...she was gone before anyone even got there to help us. I had a few injuries- I mean, you don't come out of something like that unscathed and it just took a while for things to calm down. My dad was never the same; nothing was. I'm sorry, I normally don't talk about this stuff with anyone. My Dad is great; he tries his hardest to be everything I need, and I try to just focus on the good and the progress we've both made over the years. I just- I'm sorry.” Laura finally finishes and buries herself further into Danny's chest.

“You have nothing to be sorry about; it's okay. Thank you for telling me. It- it means a lot that you would trust me with something like that.” Danny says as she continues stroking her fingers up and down Laura's back.

“Tell me about your family? Please?”

Laura's voice sounds so small and searching and all Danny can do is give in to her request, so she starts in about her siblings.

“Well, Andy's an ass, to be perfectly honest.”

Laura picks her head up from Danny's chest and looks her in the eye with a frown that is trying desperately to not give in to a smile (and failing spectacularly).

“What? He is! He thinks he can do no wrong, and he's always going on and on about Architecture! And did you know he literally built me that computer over there?” Danny points at her desktop computer to emphasize her point. “And no, before you start in, it wasn't some nice gesture- well not entirely. It was mostly so he could go on and on about how laptops were inferior and hold it over my head that he had _painstakingly_ _slaved_ over building something for me.”

Laura's looking at her as if she doesn't believe a word coming out of Danny's mouth, and Danny just deflates.

“Okay, so maybe that was a bad example of him being an ass. But you'll see what I mean at some point.” Danny grumbles and begins to pout until she realizes just exactly what she said, and tries to cover for herself. “I mean, he might Skype me or something and, you know, you'd, you'd-”

“I'd like to meet him someday, just to see if you're blowing things out of proportion.” Laura says with a nod. “What about your other siblings?”

“Well I already told you about Tori.” Danny starts in, trying to not jump to any conclusions about what it could mean that Laura isn't jumping out of bed and running for the hills when she just assumed Laura would meet her brother someday. “That just leaves Ollie. He's quiet but smart, he's gearing up to go to this really prestigious culinary school and mom can't stop raving about him to anyone that comes within earshot, but he deserves it, he's worked really hard for all of it.”

Laura moves a bit closer, her fingers drawing lazy designs on Danny's sternum.

“What about your dad?”

Danny knows she stiffens the moment Laura utters the word 'dad', mainly because Laura looks up at her and her fingers pause briefly. She doesn't want to be this obvious, but she can't help her natural reaction. Her father is a sore subject, given how he practically abandoned them all when Danny was twelve years old and Tori being only a year old at that point.

“He isn't...around.”

“Oh.”

The one word falls out of Laura's mouth and Danny immediately regrets her word choice because that small word holds a weight it shouldn't.

“No, he just- he left my mom when I was twelve, went off and made a whole new family with someone else. He sent letters and money on birthdays and stuff like that but eventually even that stopped for a while. He came back around recently and my mom wants me to give him a chance or something because he's my dad and he's trying, but I haven't made up my mind...”

“It's your choice, Danny.” Laura says, cuddling up to Danny once again.

“Yeah I know,” Danny mutters in reply.

She understands it is supposed to be her choice, but she also knows there is a lot of pressure to “fix” her family in some ways. Also, Danny knows her mother feels responsible for the almost nonexistent relationship between Danny and her father, and she's trying to make sure they don't lose those last threads. Danny is pretty sure there is little to no hope on this front, but if Dick wants to buy her love for now, then she is going to do what she can to keep that option in her back pocket in case it comes in handy later down the line.

“Mm, what time is it?” Laura hums, her cheek pressed against Danny's chest, distorting her words slightly.

Danny _so_ does not want to answer that question because she knows that no matter what she says, Laura is going to take it as reason to head back to her dorm. But Danny is fully aware she does, in fact, have to answer so she tilts her head up and grabs for her cellphone on her nightstand. She taps the screen and looks at the time.

“11:18.” Danny answers, and her stomach drops.

Laura buries her face into Danny's chest and groans, trying to get closer to Danny, but they literally can't be any closer at this point- not that Danny is complaining about Laura's efforts.

“I don't want to go back.” Laura mumbles and Danny barely catches the words.

“Then don't.” Danny offers up.

Laura picks her head up at that, resting her chin on Danny's chest. Her hair is tousled and messy and Danny can't help but think she is the most beautiful girl in this entire world.

“You know I have to. Carmilla-”

Danny cuts Laura off there because she doesn't want to start Laura in on the subject.

“Your prisoner needs her guard; I get it.”

“She's not that bad, you know.” Laura huffs.

Danny does not want to fight about this. Danny does not want to be lying in bed naked with Laura Hollis- also naked- on top of her and talking about _Carmilla Karnstein_ of all people. So she's not going to do that.

“I know.” Danny snaps in reply.

She didn't mean for it to come out the way it did- well, she _did_ , but she regrets it the moment something hardens behind Laura's eyes. Danny wants to get their good moment back. There was something building between them; she knows there was, she could feel it, and she is pretty sure Laura did, too. So, in an attempt to fix things, Danny leans up the slightest bit and kisses Laura and at first it's one-sided, but soon Laura melts into her and that's all Danny wants.

“Stay here with me.” Danny whispers as she pulls back from their kiss.

“I want to; can't that be enough?” Laura asks, though Danny knows it's not really a question.

“Do me a favor?” Danny asks, and Laura looks at her a bit skeptical.

“What is it?” Laura asks, lips pursed.

“Take a picture with me?” Danny says as she shakes her phone back and forth in front of Laura's face playfully.

“Right now?” Laura asks in disbelief.

“Yes. Come on, please?”

“I look like crap, Danny.”

“You look beautiful.” Danny replies immediately and that earns her a blush from Laura. She's going to agree to this; Danny can tell. Her eyes soften, and she's smiling but she hasn't answered yet, and Danny knows she just wants to pretend that there is some deliberating going on in her head, even if Danny knows she has won this one.

“Okay fine, but we have to cover up a bit.” Laura says as she pulls the sheets up and covers their chests.

“Deal.” Danny says as she pulls up the sheets on her side, covering herself on the other side.

Danny holds the phone up above them both, screen turned so she can actually see the two of them. Laura looks at them both in the camera and then squeaks and hides her head under the sheets.

“I can't do this!” Laura argues, but she's grinning as she pulls the sheets down enough that Danny can see her face but that she is still obscured to the camera.

“Yes you can. C'mere.” Danny says, putting the cell phone down on her chest and releasing Laura from her cocoon of sheets.

Laura's finally done hiding, and Danny smooths her hand through Laura's hair, trying to tame the mess slightly, but also just wanting to touch Laura some more. Laura leans up first only to have Danny meet her, and then they're kissing. Danny immediately regrets that she forgot to turn the sound off on her phone because immediately after the shutter sound on her phone goes off, Laura is pulling away.

“Did you just take a picture?!” Laura asks, pouting and then immediately trying to get the phone from Danny.

“You bet I did” Danny replies, grinning and holding the phone out over the side of the bed.

“At least let me see!” Laura says, grabbing for the cellphone to no avail.

“Okay, you can see. But I am holding the phone while you look because no matter what, you do not get to delete this picture, Hollis.”

“We'll see about that.” Laura says, glaring at Danny but the action is more playful than anything else.

Danny had been moving her arm closer to Laura but at that statement, Danny pulls back again, her arm completely outstretched away from Laura.

“Ah, ah, ah, Hollis. You are not going to delete anything or you don't get to _see_ anything.” Danny says, challenging Laura.

“Fine, just let me see!” Laura finally moans, defeated.

Danny is convinced Laura will comply and moves the phone closer to Laura. Laura looks it over and Danny watches her face as she scans the photo on the screen. Laura is smiling and she has a look in her eyes Danny's not sure she's actually seen in person before. She has only really seen it a few times on Laura's vlog and thankfully those times were directed at her (well, not exactly _all_ of them...). But Laura is here right now and looking at the picture on Danny's phone of them kissing with that expression, and Danny is trying to let that be enough, to just let their differences that were surfacing go because they have this moment and it is _theirs_.

“Can we take another one? One where we're actually looking at the camera?” Laura asks as she looks up from the phone at Danny.

“Yeah sure, if you want to.” Danny says, smiling.

Laura nods and they position themselves comfortably. Laura is laying on Danny's chest, her hand splayed out, palm resting on Danny's sternum. Danny wonders if Laura can feel just how hard her heart is pounding right now, and she's sure Laura can, but it's not like she can really control it. Danny positions the phone above them again and they're both grinning at the camera this time when Danny snaps the photo.

“Perfect.” Danny says as she pulls the photo down to look at it.

Laura's looking, too and smiling.

“You really are.” Laura says absently before she jerks up and looks at Danny, blush spreading over her cheeks “I um, I d-”

“Why, thank you.” Danny says, smug, before she cups Laura's cheek and then pulls her in for a kiss, smiling into it

“Watch it, Lawrence. You can't afford for your head to get much bigger or you won't be able to fit through the doorway, and we have to go soon.” Laura says as she pulls away from the kiss, giving Danny another small peck on the lips at the end of her sentence.

“We?” Danny asks.

“Yes we. You wouldn't let me leave this house all on my own at like eleven thirty at night, would you?” Laura says with a knowing look.

“Of course not!” Danny replies without thinking.

“So come on, we should be heading out.” Laura says as she uses Danny's chest as leverage before sitting herself up on the bed, her side still pressed to Danny.

Danny huffs but eventually picks herself up and sits up as Laura climbs out of bed and searches for her clothes that are strewn across Danny's floor. Danny sits there for a few seconds just watching Laura pull her jeans on, and she has a passing thought that she would be perfectly content to do this for the rest of her life.

As if on cue, that is the moment Laura turns around, shirt in her hand pressed against her chest as she looks Danny over, apprehensive smile on her face before she tilts her head to one side.

“What?” Laura asks, hands nervously playing with the shirt in her hand.

“Nothing.” Danny says softly, shaking her head before she finally gets up. “You know that's my shirt, right?”

Laura doesn't even hesitate with her answer as she looks down at the shirt in her hands and then proceeds to put it on.

“Yes. It's all a part of my master plan to steal all of your clothes for myself- besides, it smells like you and it's comfy.” Laura says, swimming in Danny's frayed Silas University Athletic Department t-shirt.

“I guess I don't get a say in all of this?” Danny asks, moving behind Laura, wrapping her arms around Laura's waist and resting her chin on Laura's shoulder.

“Do you really want a say in this?” Laura asks.

Danny shifts and kisses Laura's neck causing Laura to giggle at the contact.

“No.” Danny mutters into Laura's neck.

“Didn't think so. Now get dressed, lazy bones. I want to go sleep.” Laura says, trying to extract herself halfheartedly from Danny's embrace.

“I have a perfectly comfortable _big_ bed right here.” Danny says, loosening her grip around Laura so she can walk out of it whenever she wants. Thankfully, it seems Laura doesn't really want to, yet.

Danny can't help herself, really. She wants Laura here in the Summer Society house where it's safe- or more accurately, in her room _with her_ where it’s safe.

“You do, but I have to get back or Laf and Perry will worry.” Laura says, turning around in Danny's arms to face her.

“Ah, but the beauty of technology is that you can text them and they won't worry anymore and you can stay right here with me.” Danny has been leaning down as she has been speaking and is now happily in Laura's personal bubble.

“But Carm-”

“Yeah I suppose you do have to get back to your captive. At least she's tied up; can't be that much trouble, that way”

“You haven't heard her complaining loudly about historical inaccuracies whenever I try to do my homework. I don't even think she was around when the things she complains about were even happening, but still, she complains.”

“Well, you know my solution...”

“Yes, I do. And we've talked about this.” Laura states, sounding done with the topic before they ever even venture on to it, so Danny doesn't push.

“Okay, so I've got to actually put some clothes on and then we can go, right?” Danny asks, looking over Laura's head to the floor behind her.

“Yes, as much as it pains me to make you put clothes _on._ ” Laura replies, playfully.

“Mm, well if it's any consolation, you get to watch me put clothes on?” Danny counters as she looks back down at Laura.

“It'll have to do, I suppose.” Laura says with a pout.

Danny kisses that pout right off of Laura's lips.

She pulls back from the kiss reluctantly and decides to forgo picking her clothes up off of her bedroom floor in favor of the clothes sitting in her dresser drawer. She pulls out a t-shirt, boxers, a sports bra and a pair of jeans and gets dressed. All the while, she feels Laura's eyes on her and she can feel herself blush after a few seconds.

“Didn't anyone ever tell you staring is impolite?” Danny asks, looking up from her seat on the bed as she ties her shoe.

Laura smiles and moves towards her.

“Probably, but I can't help but stare at you.”

“I am perfect, after all; you said so yourself.” Danny says ,and Laura shoves her shoulder at that.

Danny rights herself, laughing as she does and then slaps her hands on her thighs before she gets up from the bed.

“Okay, guess we should get going?” Danny asks.

Laura nods and heads for the bedroom door. Danny follows right behind her, grabbing her letterman jacket from the computer chair on her way out. Danny manages to put the jacket on easily as she heads down the stars, with Laura already waiting at the bottom for her.

They head out of the Summer Society house and start for Crowley Hall. Laura laces their fingers together as Danny steps onto sidewalk of the main path towards their destination.

The air is chilly, and Danny looks down at Laura who does not look comfortable in the least. Danny waits exactly two seconds before she lets go of Laura's hand.

“What are you doing?” Laura asks, looking down at her hand before looking up at Danny.

“Here,” Danny says as she strips out of her jacket and places it over Laura's shoulders.

“But now you're going to be cold!” Laura protests, trying to hand the jacket back.

“I'll be fine; I run hot.” Danny says, pushing the jacket back into Laura's hands.

“If you're sure..” Laura says, a bit hesitant, but pulling the jacket on, regardless.

Laura pulls the sleeve of the jacket up enough that the majority of it is bunched up, but her hand is poking out of the sleeve and determinedly grabbing for Danny's hand, her grip strong and unwavering.

They keep walking towards Crowley Hall in a silence that started out comfortable, but then Danny's brain catches up with her, and she can't stop replaying so many worries that have been going through her head for a while, now. Danny's not stupid; she watches Laura's videos and she can see things changing- she can feel them changing, too. Carmilla is a sore spot between them, and not for reasons Danny has completely verbalized, yet.

“Laura?” Danny ventures.

“Hm?” Laura hums in reply, not looking up at Danny.

“I um, you're not-” Danny cuts herself off with a heavy sigh.

“What's wrong?” Laura says, now looking at Danny.

“You're not- Carmilla's not- do I have a reason to worry about Carmilla?” Danny asks, finally.

“She's tied up and she hasn't tried to do anything to me, Danny.” Laura says with a reassuring smile.

That's not even close to what Danny was asking about.

“No, I mean- do you have feelings for Carmilla?” Danny tries again.

“What?! No!” Laura's laughing now, and Danny's trying to let that comfort her. “No, not at all! Have you met her? I mean sure she's a bit more...um, human, to me I guess, but she's been awful! Granted, less awful lately- a lot less awful, actually but-” Laura cuts herself off as she looks up at Danny.

Danny wonders if she looks as worried as she still feels, and the look on Laura's face now seems to confirm Danny's fears in that regard.

“No, you don't have anything to worry about, Danny.” Laura says.

“Okay.” Danny says with a nod, and she's determined to take Laura for her word. After all, Laura has never lied to her.

“Promise.” Laura says before she pulls Danny down for a quick kiss and then pulls back, skipping ahead of Danny.

Danny runs after Laura and catches her, the game lasting until they get to Laura's door. Danny runs up behind her, arms wrapping around Laura's waist as Laura stumbles against the door and holds herself up. They're laughing and Laura is so close and finally, finally Danny really feels like things are good between them. There are no more fears churning in her stomach; there is no possible way there could be- not with Laura this close to her.

Danny's kissing Laura's cheek, trying to kiss her in the same place, but it's hard considering Laura is squirming around, and Danny thinks Laura's trying to get to her door to open it, but then Laura's turning around in her arms and they're really kissing, now.

Danny cups Laura's face between her hands and deepens the kiss. Laura leans up on tiptoes and wraps her hands around the back of Danny's neck, trying to get them even closer (as if that is even possible). They stay like that for a few seconds, kissing until the need to breathe wins out over the sheer fun of kissing.

“I have to get in there.” Laura finally pants, crooking a thumb at the door behind her.

“I know.” Danny says, resting her forehead against Laura's and not making any move to let Laura go, yet.

Laura's not trying to get out of Danny's grip, either and they just stand there breathing each other in and Danny is entirely too happy to do this forever. But they don't get that far, because Laura's kissing her again this time- not a full make-out session like before. This one unfortunately feels like a goodnight kiss.

Danny immediately mourns the loss of Laura when she disentangles herself and reaches behind her to twist the doorknob and opens the door to her dorm just a crack.

“See you tomorrow.” Laura says as she smiles at Danny.

Danny doesn't move and neither does Laura.

Danny wonders if she can prolong this if she just doesn't respond for a while. Laura jumps just barely as she looks down at herself and then goes to take the jacket off.

“Oh! I almost forgot!” Laura says as she looks back up at Danny with a sheepish grin.

Danny's hands go over Laura's as she stills her motions.

“Keep it.” Danny says, her voice holding no room for argument. “See you tomorrow?”

Laura nods and kisses Danny one last time.

“See you tomorrow; it's a date” Laura says before she finally walks backwards into her room and slowly closes the door.

The walk back to the Summer Society house is a blur for Danny, if she's honest. All she remembers is changing the lock screen on her phone to the picture of her and Laura kissing and then debating whether she should instead use the one where they're looking at the camera. She changes it.

Twice.

Danny falls into bed, a trail of clothes following from her doorway. She puts her phone down on the nightstand. Her and Laura's smiling faces illuminate the small patch of her room, and then switches after a few seconds to show her and Laura kissing in bed. The phone goes dark before the slideshow can continue on to a few selfies Laura has taken with Danny's phone the past couple of days.


	11. Burning Embers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny tries to protect the campus instead of dealing with her personal life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, I know it has been a very long time since I updated this fic and I can't tell you when the next update will happen because I have other projects in the works and I have life to deal with. But I love this fic with all of my heart and soul and I will finish it, I don't know when, but it will get done. I'm probably talking to all of one person now, but still, I will finish this fic.

_'This is just me and you, needing different things.'_

Those words are on repeat in Danny's head as she walks down Laura's hallway and makes her way to the entrance of the building.

She’s jostled out of her thoughts the moment she hears something loud and ominous outside and before she can rethink anything, she's bolting out of Crowley Hall and staring directly at what appear to be giant, anthropomorphic mushrooms.

They're not friendly.

Technically, she's not sure if they  _really_ count as anthropomorphic if all they seem to have are mouths- large, gaping maws that seem to hold a neverending void inside. Danny knows this for a _fact_ because the moment she stepped out of Crowley Hall, one opened its mouth and let out a sound that she could never accurately describe- but if death had a sound to it, that is what it would be.

Immediately, she starts running for the Summer Society.

When she finally makes it within view of the house, she sees her Sisters running towards the attack with weapons in hand. Someone's yelling about masks as Danny makes her way into the house and heads upstairs, straight for her bedroom. She dodges a few of the girls who are in the hallway and still making their way outside. Finally, she's in her room and she hastily makes her way to the locked chest buried inside her closet that holds her personal weapons. She grabs her sword and a bandana to serve as a mask from one of her Sisters on her way out before running back towards Crowley Hall.

Danny now knows why she's wearing a mask over her mouth. The giant mushrooms are spitting spores that do god-knows-what to their victims because _of course they are._

Danny heads into the fray, dodging spores- she hopes it looks effortless because it happens to be a lot of effort. There's a huge spray, and since these things don't have eyes, it's just going everywhere.

And then there's Laura.

She's standing outside Crowley Hall looking up at the mushrooms and yelling something. Danny's too far away to hear what she's saying, and she knows she shouldn't, but she starts towards Laura because _giant fucking mushrooms_ , that's why.

Except Carmilla gets there first, and Laura's clinging to her, and Danny wants to puke.

Instead, she takes it out on a mushroom three feet away from her. She's hacking at it, forgetting all the rules besides the pointy end goes in the other guy; mushrooms don't count as people. Though she's pretty sure _someone_ on campus would fight her on that _._

A few of the students near her get hit with the spores being shot haphazardly and begin to jerk around like zombies. So apparently, that is what the spores do to people. Great development.

Danny takes a few more mushrooms down with the help of her Sisters and by the time the lawn outside of Crowley Hall is cleared, she has completely lost sight of Laura. A part of her is grateful for that fact, but a much larger part is worried about what exactly that could mean, especially with Carmilla being loose and in the picture.

"Little help here, Lawrence?!" Mel yells from a few feet away.

Danny runs to Mel, who is surrounded by students clearly infected by the spores. They are jerking around, trying to move past her, but Mel's having none of that.

"I'm surprised you're not making with the shining knight schtick." Mel says before punching one of the students in the face. "I saw Hollis over there a few minutes ago." Mel points to the spot Laura had been standing with the head of her axe.

"Now is not the time, Mel!" Danny says, trying to get the students around her to just _stop_ with as little force as possible.

"Come on, I've got to have something to entertain me!" Mel yells with a laugh as one of the students jerks right into the side of her axe and immediately crumples to the ground upon impact.

"Ooh, that is _definitely_ going to leave a mark." Mel says with a wince as she looks down at the unconscious boy.

"What are these guys even doing?!" Danny yells as she knocks down some of the students who were grabbing at her.

"I don't know, and I'm not too interested in finding out, either!" Mel says, grappling with one of the students.

"You can't hurt them, they're still students! We have to subdue them somehow!" Danny grunts as she takes another few students down.

"And how do you propose we do that?! They aren't exactly going to listen to reason!" Mel says, grabbing a boy's arm and twisting it back behind him in a motion Danny _knows_ is meant to hurt.

"I don't-" Danny is cut off as Mel pushes the boy out of her grasp.

"No, wait, let me try!" Mel growls out before staring the boy down, who is now attempting to move towards her. "Hey, do you think you could possibly stop acting like a freaky zombie hell-bent on destruction?" Mel's tone changes from frustration to mock sincerity.

The boy doesn't listen, and Mel hits him in the face with the butt of her axe.

"Nope, didn't work." Mel deadpans as they both watch the guy hit the ground.

Danny sighs, exasperated, and grabs Mel by the arm, pulling her back towards the Summer Society house.

"You are having way too much fun with this, Callis. Come on, let’s go see if anyone is back at the house. Maybe we can figure out a better plan-"

"Of attack, you mean?" Mel cuts in.

"To subdue the _students_!" Danny yells, looking back at Mel. "Since when have you become so bloodthirsty?"

"A girl has to get her frustrations out somehow." Mel says before she jogs in front of Danny and stops them both, grabbing Danny by her hips and pulling her close, "Unless you wanna help me in that department, Lawrence?" Mel asks, cocking an eyebrow.

"In your dreams!" Danny shoots back in reply and shoves Mel away before she continues moving towards the Summer Society house.

"Hey, don't knock it before you try it!" Mel laughs.

Danny grabs Mel's arm again and keeps pulling because she knows Mel stopped herself where she was to look back at the fray. "Come on."

“You’re such a buzzkill sometimes- actually, I’m pretty sure it all started with the freshmeat you’ve been fucking- oh, don’t give me that look, Danny. We’ve all heard you guys going at it, no matter how loud you crank your sex playlists.”

“Well, I didn’t ask for commentary.” Danny grumbles, letting go of Mel’s wrist.

“Well, I didn’t ask to be woken up by-” Mel pauses putting on her best rendition of Laura’s voice, moaning dramatically, “ _Danny, Danny, Danny!_ But I heard it anyway.” Mel finishes, and Danny can _hear_ the frown on Mel’s face.

Danny just keeps moving forward, trying to get the broken record of Laura’s words out of her head. She doesn't want to think about how suddenly she and Laura need different things. It’s not as if Laura ever _asked_ her what she needed, and if she’s honest, Danny never asked either. But Laura seemed perfectly fine going about things exactly as they had been doing.

This wasn’t about her. Danny is almost certain about that. This was due to Carmilla, the fucking vampire who _bit_ Laura. The worst part is that Danny’s pretty sure Laura was about to excuse that away, and there’s no real justification she can see for something like that unless Laura asked Carmilla to bite her. That thought makes Danny’s stomach twist in uncomfortable ways, and she’s only jarred out of her thoughts by Mel grabbing her around her middle and talking against her neck as they stumble forward, Mel’s hands now on Danny’s hips, trying to steady them.

“Where is that girlfriend of yours, anyway?” Mel asks as she moves to Danny’s side, her arm still around Danny’s waist.

“Didn’t I say this wasn’t the time?” Danny snaps.

“That was when we were fighting off the D-list horror movie monsters back there. Come on, what’s going on?” Mel asks, completely disregarding Danny’s mood.

“I don’t know.” Danny responds, and her voice cracks but she can’t do this right now.

There are giant mushrooms attacking students, there are students being taken over by said giant mushrooms, there is Laura clinging to Carmilla- No, Danny does not have the time to focus on the new tragedy that is her love life, but it begs to be the focus of attention, anyway.

“Hey, okay, we don’t have to talk about it.” Mel says, her voice going soft as her arm drops from around Danny’s waist.

Good, because Danny does not want to talk about Laura Hollis. Or this absolute ache in her chest, or the fact that she has essentially been passed over in favor of a vampire that has literally been excruciatingly pompous and unnecessarily rude to everyone she has ever come into contact with. Or the fact that she’s not quite sure what to do with herself now that she knows Laura won’t be calling her when she gets into danger- Danny won’t be there to help her anymore.

Suddenly, Danny is angry.

Angry that Laura has decided to fling herself into danger and choose the one person that will cheer her on the whole way. Angry that Laura decided she suddenly knows exactly what Danny needs without bothering to ask her even _once!_ Angry that she let herself feel so much, and tell Laura so much, only to have it all thrown back in her face.

Now is not the time for any of this, but maybe Danny can use that anger. She hopes so, at least.

“Come on, we have some students to save.” Danny says, focusing on the anger blooming in her chest as she starts running for the Summer Society house.

She knows this anger can’t last. She knows that eventually, she will burn it all away and be left with the sadness and regret that is already starting to claw at her insides. But curling up into a ball and letting the campus fall to Hell because a girl dumped her is not useful right now. Falling apart won’t save anyone, especially not herself, and Danny will be damned if she loses herself over a stupid breakup.

Breakup.

Even thinking the term is painful.

“And monsters to kill.” Mel adds, jogging to catch up with Danny, after a pause, “And if you’re a real good girl, maybe I’ll let you use my axe.” Mel brandishes her axe in her hand, catching Danny’s eye with it.

Danny’s eyes trail up the head of the axe and then venture to Mel’s face. Her stomach twists in knots at the praise, and she’s not even sure _why,_ but it’s happening all the same.

“Oh, _shut up_.” Danny says with a roll of her eyes.

There was a considerable pause between Mel’s words and her own reaction, and Danny can only hope that Mel didn’t catch that.

The fact that Mel is currently winking at her does not bode well.

When they make it back to the Summer Society house, they see some of the other girls heading inside, and Danny's stomach drops with the fear that some of them may have been infected by the giant mushroom spores. She catches herself trying to fill out a mental catalogue of who is there and who has yet to be accounted for.

Mel's hand on her shoulder jolts Danny out of her thoughts.

“Whoa there, Killer. No need to be so damn jumpy.” Mel says, lifting her hand from Danny’s shoulder and holding both of her hands up in front of her in a gesture of surrender.

“Sorry… Just thinking.” Danny mutters, trying to calm her racing mind.

“Let’s get inside.” Mel says pushing Danny forward.

Inside the house, there is chaos. Girls are standing around in the living room, all trying to talk over everyone else. Danny catches a few words- vampire definitely being one of them- and then she tries desperately to _not_ listen anymore.

Thankfully, it doesn’t take long for Claire to calm the chaos down to a heated, desperate murmur.

“Okay everyone, listen up! As most of you should know by now, the Alchemy Club’s newest project, or pets, or whatever those things were _supposed_ to be, have gotten loose.”

The murmur around the room picks up volume, only to fall into stilted silence as Claire talks over everyone.

“We have been handing out masks to everyone, and if you still need one, see me after the briefing,” Claire says, her hands moving with her words, gesturing as if she is trying to suppress something, and Danny wonders if she's not trying to physically calm their fears. “Do not, under _any_ circumstances, leave this house without a mask. We still don’t really know what those spores do, but I am not too keen to find out with any of you playing the victim. Stay safe. It's the only way we can rein in this chaos.” Claire finishes, her voice softer but still very earnest.

Danny looks over the girls standing in front of her, beside her, all around. These are her Sisters. Her family. These girls are what matter to Danny right now; their safety, and their ability to help the rest of the campus. That is what is going to really pull Danny to the surface, even if the recent events with Laura keep trying to drag her down like a weight tied around her ankle.

Danny is jolted out of her thoughts when Claire continues. It's a small comfort, knowing her place with the Summers, having orders to follow (or so Danny can only hope).

“Now, we have to get those infected subdued somehow. Based on reports, it seems they are headed towards the Lustig building. I’m going to call out teams, and I want those I call out to group together and head down to subdue the growing number of those infected. Only use physical force if _absolutely necessary_. These are still students.” Claire then turns her attention to Beth before speaking again.

“Beth will be handing out zip ties. One member of each group should take them in order to restrain the infected students. Under no circumstances are you to take these students to Student Health Services. We want them to go back to their families _alive_.”

Claire finishes speaking, and then Danny looks over at Mel, who seems keyed up all over again. Danny’s attention is drawn back to Claire when she hears her last name called.

She's been grouped with Mel and Beth. They hang around as Beth hands out supplies to the rest of the girls whose names had been called for other teams. Danny couldn’t help but notice that all of the freshmen pledges have been left out of the groupings.

Danny's actually relieved. She won't have to worry about inexperienced fighters on the field. Less collateral damage that way.  

“Ready?” Beth asks, looking at Danny.

“Hm? Oh yeah, ready as I’ll ever be.” Danny says, not even bothering to try for a smile.

Mel, however, is grinning fiercely as she wraps her arm around Danny’s waist, crashing into her side.

“Don’t look so glum, Cap! We got direct orders to bring everyone back safely.” Mel says as she shakes Danny the slightest bit before continuing, “Now, whether or not people get harmed in the heat of battle, trying to subdue and capture them as per orders, is entirely up in the air! I mean, no one really _wants_ to be zip tied and taken to the Summer Society house… actually, I can probably think of a freshman or two that would love to have you all over them in that context, Lawrence... But we’re not here to fulfil fantasies, are we? We’re here to calm some more chaos due to those Alchemy dweebs and their complete incompetence!”

Danny blinks at Mel for the space of a few heartbeats before finally finding her voice again, “That was the weirdest speech I have ever heard, and I’ve heard speeches defending ritualistic human sacrifices as a means of effective communication and problem solving, before.”

In answer to the look Beth is now giving her, Danny offers up, “It was in my Ancient Cryptography and Conspiracy Theories course.”

Beth nods, “Oh, Jefferson!” A pause and then, with a shrug, “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Okay, enough of this chit chat. How about we head out to the south quadrant and captures us some infected students?!” Mel says, moving between Danny and Beth, her arms going up around their shoulders.

“Seriously, stop being so happy about tying people up.” Danny says, giving Mel a look she hopes conveys how creeped out she is.

“Like I said before, Lawrence: don’t knock it before you try it.” Mel smirks, and then winks at Danny before shoving off of her and Beth and heading out the front door.

“Is it just me, or has she gotten more-” Danny pauses, trying to find the right word but failing before continuing, “- _intense_ as the year’s gone on?”

Beth’s eyes trail after Mel, too and she replies, voice even, “It”s definitely not just you.”

They finally catch up with Mel, who has taken to hacking and slashing the mushrooms in favor of actually capturing any students. Danny joins right along with her when Mel bites off more than she can chew, attempting to destroy multiple mushrooms at once.

Beth delivers the killing blow to a mushroom on Danny's side, and Danny can’t help but grin behind her mask. “Nice one, Foster!”

Beth glances over at Danny, and for a split second, she sees the fury in Beth’s eyes before her attention actually focuses on Danny.

“Thanks, but you’ve taken out more than I have so far!” Beth replies before jogging over to where Danny is.

“It's a team effort.” Danny says as she clasps a hand on Beth’s shoulder, “Besides, I am pretty sure Mel would take out the entire field if we gave her the option.”

As if on cue, Mel starts screaming as she runs towards yet another mushroom, and Danny jogs up behind her. They spend a while hacking and slashing at the mushrooms in their assigned area before Cassie comes running up to them, sounding frantic.

“Come on, you guys! We have to get to the Lustig!”

“What? Why? What’s going on?” Danny yells, following after Cassie, grabbing Mel’s arm and dragging her along.

“All of the infected students are headed there, and apparently they’re attacking anyone that tries to stop them.” Cassie explains.

“Oh my god, are they trying to burn it down?!” Beth asks, pointing at the group of infected students lurching towards the Lustig.

“Do they have a fucking gas can? I mean, I know we all hate theater majors, but- ow! What the fuck, Foster?!” Mel yells, slapping away Beth’s hand.

“ _I’m_ a theatre major, you asshole!” Beth growls.

“Well how the fuck was I supposed to know that?!” Mel argues in her defense.

“We’re _roommates_!” Beth exclaims.

Danny stops listening to their bickering, trying to figure out just how they are going to tackle taking down this group of infected students, especially since they seem to be violent, themselves. Mel is going to have a field day with this new development, saying it gives her reason to be violent right back, especially if it gives them the upper hand in subduing everyone.

Mel gets her wish and they end up having to use force, but thankfully, she keeps herself in check. They are only roughed up enough that they can be zip tied and then hauled off to the Summer Society house and led into the basement.

Danny knows they will be taken care of and then released once the fungus actually works itself out of their bodies. And given that some students are _already_ being released, it seems to be a very temporary affliction.

“Okay, next order of business is getting that fungicide into the buildings around the Lustig.” Danny says, walking up to Mel and Beth.

“You know, there is a part of me that wants to ask why the hell this school has huge barrels of fungicide just lying around, but then I think better of it.” Mel deadpans, picking up her axe from beside the front door.

“Uh, where exactly do you think you’re going with that?” Danny asks, pointing to the axe in Mel’s hand.

“What?” Mel asks, moving the axe as she speaks, “You can’t expect me to go out there unarmed!”

“Uh, yeah I can. Besides, you won’t be alone.” Danny says, grabbing the handle of the axe.

“Okay, Lawrence. I know you think highly of those guns of yours, but they’re really no match for giant fucking mushrooms!” Mel argues, but lets Danny take the axe out of her hands all the same.

“Mhm, keep tellin’ yourself that, Callis.” Danny hums as she places the axe back against the wall.

“I mean, I appreciate the show, but-” Mel gets cut off as Beth speaks.

“Okay, not that I don’t appreciate the weird flirty banter going on here- oh wait, I _really_ don’t. And we’ve got shit to do, you guys- those barrels aren’t going to roll themselves into the basements!” Beth says, pushing past Mel and Danny.

Danny blinks after her for a few seconds before jogging to catch up with Beth, “But I wasn’t flirting with her!”

Danny’s feet lose their grip on the floor below her, and she ends up sliding as she keeps pushing the barrel. Luckily, she regains her footing quickly and keeps moving the barrel forward with the help of her Sisters.

“Okay, I think we’re good.” Mel says, looking over at Danny.

Danny nods and stops pushing the barrel forward into the room. Mel walks around to the front of the barrel and swings the head of her axe into it. Danny lost that argument with Mel about the axe the moment she stepped out of the Summer Society house. Mel already had it in hand, and they didn’t have time to run back. The wood of the barrel creaks and cracks under the stress as Mel pulls the axe free.

Danny watches and can’t help but laugh as Mel jumps out of the way of the fungicide now slowly pouring out of the barrel. Mel shoots Danny a glare but that only ends up making Danny laugh more.

“You should have thought that one out, Callis!” Danny says between laughter.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Mel grumbles, waving her hand in Danny’s direction dismissing her.

“That’s the last one, right?” Beth asks from beside Danny.

“Yeah, for us, anyway. Pretty sure everyone else have things covered.” Danny says, watching the fungicide continue to pour slowly out of the barrel.

“Well, then let’s head back to the house.” Mel says, clasping a hand on Danny’s shoulder, bringing her back to reality.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Danny says, turning to head up the stairs and back to the Summer Society house.

“Who said you get to lead, Lawrence?” Mel asks with a smirk and she pulls Danny back a step or two behind her.

“Uh, my position as your captain, and the VP of outdoor rec?” Danny counters, moving to get ahead of Mel again.

Soon enough, they start shoving one another as they try to head back upstairs. Danny’s side hits the railing of the staircase twice, and Mel tries to sweet-talk her way to victory once before Beth is pulling them both backwards.

Danny sucks in a sharp breath as she stumbles back down the few steps they managed to get up before she spins on Beth, who is already trying to shove past both her and Mel.

“What the hell, Foster?!” Danny yells, grabbing for Beth but missing.

“I got bored of your pissing contest, so sue me!” Beth counters, sticking her middle fingers up in the air back towards them, “Foster out, fuckers!”

“Oh no you don’t!” Mel growls out before she starts up the stairs towards Beth.

Beth doesn’t waste any time before she is running up the stairs with Mel not far behind. Danny doesn’t immediately bolt up towards them, knowing that Mel isn’t actually going to do anything. But still, Danny doesn’t linger too much, worried that the solitude will lead to her thinking about things she told herself earlier she wasn’t allowed to think about.

Soon she’s up on the bottom floor with Mel and Beth, only to find Beth holding Mel in a headlock.

“Come on, Callis! Say it!” Beth says, jerking Mel to the side.

Mel falls the slightest bit forward and stumbles, but Beth is holding her up for the most part. At least Danny knows Beth won’t let Mel fall. Danny can’t be too certain, but she’s pretty sure the noises emanating from Mel are arguments against whatever Beth is demanding, not that Danny doesn’t already have a pretty good idea of what Beth wants Mel to say.

“I am not letting you go until you say it. You know I won’t!” Beth says as she eggs Mel on.

Finally, after what feels like forever, Mel lets out a labored sigh and relents.

“Elizabeth Foster owns my ass for all eternity. She is the indisputable Ass Queen. All bow down to the Queen of Asses.” Mel repeats the line with an air of annoyance and tired familiarity.

“Damn straight. Don’t you forget it.” Beth says, smug, before she finally releases Mel from the headlock.

“Ugh, we never should have taught you that one.” Mel grumbles as she runs her hand over the back of her neck.

“It’s a Summer tradition, Callis. You weren’t going to get out of it.” Danny says, laughing, “Besides, you liked it when you were the one forcing Foster and the other pledges to recite it when you were doing your little initiations.”

“It’s called hazing, Danny.” Mel deadpans, “And one year, you made a group of them make you a crown and everything. I think I still have the pictures!”

“I will murder you if those ever see the light of day.” Danny says, getting into Mel’s personal space.

Mel doesn’t back down, though. She just fixes Danny with a smug expression for a few seconds before she replies.

“Got me shakin’ in my boots here, Lawrence.”

A few seconds pass between them as they continue their small, impromptu staring contest before Beth interrupts them as she sighs loudly and starts pulling Danny forward, towards the entrance of the building.

“Ugh, this sexual tension is getting insane. Will you two just fuck already, or give it a rest?!”

“Don’t think Danny’s little girlfriend would like it.” Mel says, wiggling her fingers in Danny’s direction with a sharp laugh.

“Don’t think _I_ would like it, Callis.” Danny corrects, “I don’t sleep with my Sisters.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t know what you’re missing.” Mel says, swinging her axe up to rest on her shoulder.

“I think I’ll survive.” Danny says with a roll of her eyes.

They make it out of the building and to the Summer Society house with little incident, though first they are wrangled by a group of students struggling to get a barrel into a nearby basement.

Danny’s heart catches in her throat the second she spots a small brunette in the crowd of the basement. Once the girl turns around, Danny breathes again, realizing it’s not Laura. She’s not even sure what she would have done if it had turned out to be Laura, but all the while, she is glad to not be faced with that situation.

Finally stepping over the threshold of the Summer Society house is a comfort Danny can never fully explain in words, but her body does immediately react to the known truth of safety within these walls- even if that truth has been fractured over the last few months.

“Where do you think you’re going, Lawrence?” Mel calls after Danny as she makes her way up the stairs.

“Um, up to my room?” Danny says, pointing upstairs.

“Not without us!” Mel says, running up behind Danny

Beth is bounding up the stairs behind Mel, brandishing a bottle of liquor that seems to have materialized out of thin air. Though Danny knows that Beth must have ducked into the kitchen to get it.

“You know that’s party liquor, right?” Danny says, raising an eyebrow at Beth.

“Well, we’re going to have a party all our own in your room, Cap.” Beth quickly replies.

Before Danny can answer, Mel is shoving her up the stairs and then Danny, Mel and Beth are stumbling into Danny’s room after Danny clicks the lights on. Mel situates herself on Danny’s bed, and Beth sinks down into Danny’s computer chair, shaking the bottle invitingly at Danny.

“Guys, I don’t know about all of this. Aren’t you tired-” Danny starts with a sigh.

“Oh, hell no. You are not getting out of this one. We’re getting drunk and enjoying our night and you are not going to stop us, Lawrence.” Mel says, motioning towards Beth for the bottle.

Beth unscrews the cap and takes a sip before handing the bottle over to Mel.

“I’m not trying to stop your fun, I just don’t want to be involved.” Danny tries to argue.

Today has been a long day. A _very_ long day. A day that involved Laura breaking up with her, being choked by a vampire, having to destroy giant mushrooms, and capturing infected students (who have all since found their way back to their own dorm rooms, thankfully). Danny does not want to sit in her room with Mel and Beth and drink. Mainly because she is worried it will lead to topics of conversation she does not want to deal with sober, let alone drunk.

“Come on, Danny. We never get to see you anymore! Besides, it could be fun to let loose!” Mel says, raising the bottle above her head before she leans forward and holds it out towards Danny.

Danny stares at the bottle for a few seconds, contemplating Mel’s argument. It’s no secret she has been making herself scarce, lately. She’s been in the Summer Society house, of course, but most of her time has been eaten up by Laura and homework- Laura winning out over even academia.

She sighs, takes the bottle, and holds it up to her lips.

“So, Laura broke up with me today.” Danny’s words crash into the bottle before she swallows them down with a large swig of cheap alcohol.

It burns, which gives Danny a reason to keep her eyes closed for just a few seconds and avoid the looks she knows Mel and Beth are giving her. It doesn’t really soften the blow when she opens her eyes, unfortunately.

“What the hell happened?”

“I’m so sorry, Danny.”

Mel and Beth speak at the same time, so it just comes out in a jumble of words, but their expressions say enough as Danny takes another drink.

“Okay, just cause you’ve got heartache doesn’t mean you can be greedy.” Mel says before swiping the bottle from Danny’s hands.

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” Danny mumbles, not caring if her response makes any sense.

“Uh-huh.” Mel grunts before taking a sip and handing it to Beth.

“Ooh! We need some music!” Beth says, bouncing in her seat.

Danny finally relents to actually being in this and walks over to her bed, plopping down next to Mel.

“Have at it. My iPod is on the dock behind you.” Danny says, pointing behind Beth.

Beth pulls up the various playlists and scrolls through Danny’s music, making comments about the number of tracks by Taylor Swift there are before she finally settles on a playlist and lets it play.

“Okay, time for some real fun!” Mel says before taking a swig from the bottle.

“Oh god, what is that supposed to mean?” Danny groans, rolling her eyes and almost immediately regretting the action.

She’s not drunk, not yet, but she is starting to feel the effects of the alcohol she has already consumed. She can’t lie, the warm buzz working through her body feels nice. Feels a sight better than any other part of this day has so far. Her hand goes to her throat almost absently as she remembers Carmilla’s grip around her windpipe.

There was honestly a part of Danny that thought Carmilla was going to finish her off then and there.

But Laura stopped her.

Laura.

She was so concerned, she was pleading for Danny’s life, she was on her the second Danny fell back to the bed, that look of concern- Danny’s certain she will never be able to get that look on Laura’s face out of her head. She remembers the way Laura’s fingers carded gently through her hair, how scared Laura sounded, how worried.

And then everything went to shit.

“We’re going to play Never Have I Ever!” Mel exclaims, breaking Danny out of her thoughts.

Danny looks over at Mel and lets her hand drop down at her side again. She doesn’t need to remember now. In fact, all Danny wants to do is forget.

“Of course we are.” Danny huffs, but she knows she isn’t going to pass up the opportunity to crush Mel and Beth in a game.

Her competitive streak runs deep and always has. It’s helped her more times than she can count. First in track in high school, and now on the hockey team. There has never been a challenge Danny hasn’t run to meet, and this won’t be any different.

“I’m starting.” Mel states before continuing- Danny wonders briefly if that’s to derail any objections, “Never have I ever lied to protect a cheating friend.”

Danny looks at Beth and then turns her attention back to Mel. She can safely say she hasn’t ever done that, though she is surprised when Beth wordlessly reaches out for the bottle.

“Hot damn, Foster! I thought you hated cheaters, given-” Mel cuts herself off there and has the grace to wince at her own mistake.

“It was in high school. One of my friends was dating this douchey guy and she was seeing someone else behind his back while she tried to think up a way to break up with the asshole.” Beth explains before she takes a drink, “I heard she actually married the guy she cheated with recently.”

“Holy shit they’re young.” Mel blurts out.

“Small town.” Beth offers with a shrug.

“Guess so. Your turn, Foster, since you lost this round.”

Beth holds the bottle to her chin as she contemplates her addition to the game. Danny wonders just where she is going to go with this, but at the same time, she also doesn’t care. If she loses a round, it gets her drunk faster. If she wins... well, she wins, and winning feels so damn good.

“Okay, okay, okay! Never have I ever walked in on my parents!”

Danny groans as she motions for the bottle. Unfortunately, one time when she was nine, she made the mistake of not knocking on her parents’ bedroom door.

“Oh god, my deepest sympathies, Lawrence!” Mel says, but she’s laughing the whole time so Danny doesn’t really believe it.

“My turn.” Danny says after her drink, “Never have I ever had sex in front of other people.”

Danny is a bit shocked when Beth takes the bottle from her.

“Don't give me that look, you guys!” Beth squeaks out in her defense, “Elsie has always been a bit, um, adventurous. I mean, the other girl seemed to enjoy herself, so it wasn’t like bad for anyone.” She finishes with a shrug.

“Holy. Shit.” Danny blurts out. She knows her mouth is hanging open in shock, but she can’t stop herself.

“Stop looking at me like that!” Beth says, trying to hide herself behind the bottle before she screws her eyes shut and yells, “Never have I ever used a sex toy on someone!”

“Seriously?!”

Danny and Mel say it at the same time, and Mel takes the bottle from Beth before handing it over to Danny. As Danny is taking her drink, Mel asks for clarification,

“How have you been with _Elsie_ for like _years_ without using a sex toy?!” Mel fumbles over her words in disbelief.

“I said _I’d_ never used one on someone, not that one hasn’t been used on _me_ , or whatever.” Beth says, sounding confused by her own words.

“I guess I’ll go first?” Mel actually offers.

Danny nods her consent and immediately regrets it.

“Never have I ever taken someone’s virginity.”

At least Danny doesn’t have to ask for the bottle from anyone this time. She just takes her sip and hopes uselessly that no one will notice.

They both notice.

“Lawrence, you dog!”  
“I thought you had a rule?!”

“I didn’t know she was a virgin at first, I just thought she was shitty in bed!” Danny yells in her defense, and she can feel her cheeks getting red.

It’s probably good that she doesn’t have any reason to get up from her seat on the bed right now.

“Oh my god, was it Hollis?!” Mel blurts out.

The look Danny shoots her at least shuts her up immediately. There are _some_ victories still to be won.

“We are _not_ talking about her, Melannipe.” Danny growls out, not caring if Mel jumps down her throat for the use of her full first name.

“Okay, okay, fine.” Mel says, hands raised in a defensive manner.

Danny hadn’t expected Mel to fold so easily, but she’s grateful all the same.

“Never have I ever had sex with someone ten-plus years older than me.” Danny says, looking over at Mel.

“Playing dirty now, Lawrence? You knew about that from freshman year!” Mel says, grabbing the bottle from Danny’s hands with more force than necessary.

“Hey, it’s just true, Callis.” Danny offers with a shrug.

Danny doesn’t care anymore about who is winning. She has finally entered drunk territory, and she fully intends on enjoying it. Of course, she is dragged out of her happy place by Mel, who is on a vendetta. She can’t really blame her; she started it, but she _does_ blame Mel all the same. Sometimes a girl has to hold on to bitter pettiness.

“Never have I ever slept with someone within an hour of meeting them.”

Danny drinks.

Soon, all of the statements seem to blur as Beth and Mel take turns flinging out suggestions that they _know_ will make Danny lose. Cheaters never prosper, except for now.

“Never have I ever cried during sex.”  
“Never have I ever had sex in a friend’s bed.”  
“Never have I ever forgotten a girl’s name after sleeping with her.”  
“Never have I ever been told what to do during sex.”  
“Never have I ever been in love with anyone I slept with.”

Danny hesitates at that last one...she never said it out loud. To Laura, or even herself, but she knows, deep down. She knows that she really was beginning to have feelings for Laura. Strong ones.

“I think I really loved her, you guys.” Danny says as Mel gently takes the bottle from her hands.

“You are _so_ cut off tonight, Lawrence” Mel mutters, and Danny doesn’t even fight it as her hands are freed.

“I am _fine,_ Mel.” Danny protests, though she’s pretty sure everyone in the room can easily see through that lie.

“She left me for that fucking _vampire_ !” Danny growls out before continuing, her hands moving with her words, “A vampire that confessed to centuries of tricking girls into being her friend before she _murdered_ them! Who looks at all that information and thinks, ‘hm, you know what? We should totally hook up?’!”

Suddenly, Danny’s moving, not caring that the room seems to be moving in the opposite direction. She’s trying to climb over Mel for the liquor bottle because if anyone in this room right now deserves it, it’s _her._

“Hey, I said you’re cut off!” Mel argues, trying to push Danny away.

“Did you miss the part where I said she left me for a murderous vampire who tries way too fucking hard?” Danny spits out, trying to reach for the bottle but not quite managing, “Like, holy shit, we get that you’re going for disaffected rebellion, but jesus fuck, it’s like she took all her pointers from every cliche ever and thought, ‘meh, good enough’”

“I mean-” Mel starts to say something, but Danny cuts her off, not wanting to listen.

“No one needs that much fucking eyeliner!” Danny yells to no one in particular before she pushes herself up and off of Mel.

Instead of bitching about this to people that can’t do anything about it, why not go straight to the source? Danny still has Laura’s number, after all.

She shoves her hand into her pocket and pulls out her cellphone.

“Whoa!”

“Oh hell no, Lawrence!”

Mel and Beth are talking at the same time, but Danny doesn’t care because this is a foolproof plan. Laura deserves to know, in detail, just how badly she fucked up.

Danny gets Laura’s number pulled up and the phone rings twice before Beth snatches the phone out of Danny’s hand.

“Hey, that is private property!” Danny argues, though even she is distantly aware that what she just said makes no fucking sense.

“Yeah, well, you know the rules. No drunk dialing the ex. Don’t want you regretting this in the morning…” Beth trails off before continuing, “Well, regretting more than the _massive_ hangover you are definitely going to have.”

“Carmilla choked me!” Danny argues. That has _got_ to be reason enough for her to be able to call Laura and unload on her.

“Yeah, well, you can deal with that in the morning.” Beth says, still annoyingly not giving Danny back her phone.

“And then? Oh, here’s the real kicker guys, and _then_ Laura said I reminded her of her _dad_?!” Danny spits out in disbelief.

“Hey, I’ve met a girl or two that liked to call me Daddy. You don’t know, Hollis could be a real freak!” Mel says, not helping at all.

“Ugh, gross, I do _not_ want to think about that!” Danny says, trying to dismiss Mel’s latest admission.

“Yeah, well, it's helping, right?” Mel asks, grinning for reasons Danny can’t understand right now.

“No, it is not helping! It is doing the exact opposite of helping right now!” Danny yells, not caring how loud she is right now.

“Can’t blame me for trying, fuck” Mel mutters.

Danny steamrolls over her, not wanting to deal with whatever hurt feelings Mel right have at the moment.

“Carmilla _bit her_ but somehow _she’s_ better than _me_?!” Danny spits out her words, still not being able to grasp that piece of information.

Danny hears Mel gasp from beside her, “Holy shit, what if it was some sort of freaky sex thing?!”

“Oh my god!” Danny groans, she hadn’t considered that option before Mel laid it out on the table.

“I mean, you were saying she seemed like a bit of a freak! I mean, what if that is why she’s all up on Carmilla the Eyeliner Queen?” Mel argues her point, taking a sip from the bottle still in her hands.

“Fuck off, Mel!” Danny yells as she pushes Mel away, immediately regretting the action.

The world starts to spin in the opposite direction as Danny tries to right herself. She closes her eyes, but somehow that seems to make the spinning worse and Danny really just wants it to stop.

“You okay, Danny?” Beth asks.

Danny can hear the computer chair rolling the slightest bit forward on the hardwood floor, but she still doesn’t open her eyes.

“Yeah, I will be.” Danny groans.

“Damn straight you will be! You can bounce back from this Hollis bullshit. It’s not like that little Freshman is anything special.” Mel declares from beside Danny.

Danny opens her eyes at that, and she wants to argue; it's instinct to want to defend Laura. But as she opens her mouth to do so, nothing comes out. There is a part of her that desperately wants Mel to be right, because then this whole thing wouldn’t be so shitty.

She’s not sure when Mel and Beth left. Everything is a hazy dizzy blur, but she’s in bed now with the lights off. Beth still didn’t give Danny back her phone. She’ll be pissed about that in the morning, but for right now, she just wants to be unconscious.

Danny just wants to sleep until the world starts to make sense. Unfortunately, that might take longer than the recommended eight hours.


End file.
